I started out as a programmer in the early 2000s. Soon I realized that the future for me was in remote work, and made a website that allows people to offer their work and for companies to find employees. Then I sold it, and, having learned from my mistakes, made the next one, with the focus on out-staffing and outsourcing. It seems like it was just a few years ago, but now I have 15,000 remote employees under my supervision, although I have never studied as either a manager or an entrepreneur. The journey was long and painful. Here are some tips I would give myself if I could start over now.