Every weekday morning at 6:00 a.m. in Bend, Oregon, I log into one of my startup client’s (SiteMarker) virtual office with a strong cup of yerba mate tea and my sleepy silver labrador Coho at my feet. Across the Atlantic, Trey’s already deep into his afternoon in Belgium, mapping out go-to-market strategy and financial tasks. In Colombia, Troy’s checking notes, answering emails, and prepping for the next feature push. Thiago in Brazil and Tom in South Carolina are already writing code, while Cam and David are trading notes on sales conversations from yesterday.

And then there’s Landon—our transparent, thoughtful CEO—hovering just above the pixelated couch in Gather Town, fully plugged in to every corner of the conversation.

This is our daily standup: seven people, three continents, and one quirky fun customized retro virtual office where we can meet using audio and video or move to areas to not be disturbed, or gather and meet ad-hoc. We do use other tools and Slack throughout but the morning standup each day is in Gather. Gather tip,  don't use the app, use their web version.

Despite the pixel art environment (yes, there’s a pool table, a bonsai tree, and flags where Troy is this week,) this is where real strategy happens. Bugs get fixed mid-call. Features evolve on the fly. Decisions are made with the agility that only comes from shared context and genuine trust.

It’s not just about being remote. It’s about being connected. Gather Town has become our creative space, our meeting room, and occasionally our comedy club.

And every morning, before the rest of the world wakes up—at least from my view in Bend—we’ve already done something remarkable:
We’ve met, aligned, laughed, and moved the product forward.