Hiring remotely is an act of trust, so the first month runs on a written plan, not on vibes. This is the default I bring; we adjust it together in week one.
Week 1
Access and context
NDA signed, accounts provisioned on least privilege, and a context download: your calendar, your inbox rules, your tools, your stakeholders, and the three things currently costing you the most attention. I keep an access inventory from day one so offboarding is never a mystery.
You get: a short end-of-week note covering what I learned, what I need, and what ships next week.
Weeks 2 to 4
The first visible win
We pick one deliverable that is real, bounded, and visible: an inbox and calendar system that holds, a reporting package that assembles itself, a project tracker that reflects reality, or the audit of whatever has been quietly bothering you. It ships inside the month.
Meanwhile the rhythm starts: your priorities confirmed each morning, same-day answers on anything I am blocking, and a weekly one-page status you can skim in a minute.
Day 30
The review
Thirty minutes against the written plan: what shipped, what surprised us, what I should take on next, and what you want more or less of. If it is not working, this is where we say so plainly; a mis-hire discovered at day 30 costs a month, not a year.
From you
What I need to be effective
Access granted in week one rather than dribbled out, a standing 15 minutes twice a week at the start, honest answers about what has not worked with previous support, and one named deputy for decisions when you are unreachable. Everything else, including the agenda for those 15 minutes, I bring.
The short version: week one is access and context, the first win ships by day 30, and you will never wonder what I am doing, because the reporting rhythm starts in week two. Questions first? The FAQ answers nineteen of them.