In an era where business leaders like Elon Musk and Jamie Dimon are implementing return-to-office policies, Michael Paulus is moving in the opposite direction. Paulus is the founder of PCM Encore, a remote financial advisory firm with employees and advisors in seven states. Paulus aims to demonstrate that a distributed team isn’t just viable–it can be a competitive advantage.
“The biggest mistake companies make is going halfway,” he says. “Hybrid models give you the worst of both worlds: diluted culture and a constrained talent pool.”
For PCM Encore, remote work isn’t a post-pandemic experiment–it’s a deliberate strategy. It’s one that Paulus credits with helping the firm grow faster and attract top-tier talent.
From Watercoolers to a National Talent Pool
The concept of remote work isn’t new–NASA engineer Jack Nilles coined the term “telecommuting” in 1973. But until recently, adoption of remote work remained slow. In 2019, only 5.7% of U.S. workers operated remotely. Then the pandemic hit, and Paulus saw the rise of remote work as a paradigm shift.
PCM Encore does not let geographical boundaries limit its talent pool. “We stopped asking ‘Where do you live?’ and started asking ‘What can you do?’” Paulus explains.
Paulus draws on his lessons from Assurance IQ, a remote-first insurance tech startup he co-founded and scaled before its multi-billion-dollar acquisition by Prudential. He credits remote work with enabling the rapid scaling of Assurance by unlocking access to talent across the country. “The office wasn’t holding us back – it was holding us down,” he says.
A Metrics-Driven Meritocracy
Accountability can be challenging for remote teams, but PCM Encore is striving to prove otherwise. Paulus runs the firm with a focus on transparency. Advisors at PCM Encore use real-time dashboards to track performance, measuring everything client satisfaction and portfolio growth.
In addition to what they are seeing at PCM Encore, research suggests that remote employees have better work productivity, and many report higher satisfaction.
Paulus credits PCM Encore’s results to structure. The firm aligns incentives with outcomes, not hours. Virtual “coffee chats” and regular in-person retreats help build connection and trust. “Trust isn’t about surveillance–it’s about systems,” Paulus says. A culture of shared goals, visibility and peer recognition fills the void of the office watercooler.
The Talent Arbitrage of Removing Geography
Talent is everywhere—but not all companies see it that way.
Paulus has seen firsthand that high-performing professionals aren’t all concentrated in major cities, and many top candidates would prefer not to relocate. He believes that insisting on in-office work narrows the talent pool unnecessarily.
By removing location as a constraint, PCM Encore has been able to access professionals who bring deep experience, motivation and client empathy, regardless of their ZIP code. And in today’s hiring market, flexibility isn’t just a perk–it’s a priority. Studies show that job seekers increasingly expect remote options and seek out companies that offer them. Paulus says, “Before going remote, we’d have maybe a dozen qualified applicants for a role and pick the of the group, now we typically have thousands of applicants for a position and can find the world-class expert.”
In effect, PCM Encore expands its access to exceptional talent by offering such flexibility, built on a culture of trust.
Remote by Design, Not by Default
PCM Encore isn’t just remote–it’s remote by design.
Some companies may treat remote work as a compromise or a temporary concession. At PCM Encore, Paulus sees it as a structural advantage—a way to hire better, move faster and operate with more clarity. But he believes it only works if done properly.
PCM Encore has focused on remote work since its inception. According to Paulus, that means ditching hybrid arrangements, building systems that actually work and hiring people who thrive in self-directed environments. Every advisor has clear metrics. Every team member knows how success is defined. And most importantly, no one is a second-class citizen just because they’re not in a conference room.
Paulus contends that the magic of remote work isn’t that it’s easier. It’s that, when done right, it can make an organization sharper, leaner and more aligned. Many companies went remote because they had to. PCM Encore stayed remote because they believe it works.
