Business

Brandquad: Managing a Team Remotely and Impact on Performance

Published

6 years ago

April 15, 2020

Today, remote management or remote management is a management solution adopted by the majority of companies. Indeed, with the impact of Covid-19, many employees are forced to work from home. Remote management is thus becoming, for companies, one of the keys to overcome this crisis. However, working remotely cannot be improvised and the managers who implement this method at the time of this health crisis must have in mind a few rules of good practice. This is why Brandquad, an international company that has been successfully using this working method for several years now, has decided to share its good advice to help companies to make remote management work in an optimal way.

When working remotely with employees from different backgrounds, there are a number of obstacles that companies have to overcome. According to Anthony and Phillip from Brandquad, there are four barriers to overcome: cultural differences, distance, language, and professions. However, this is no easy task for this international company specializing in product content management. Here are his tips.

Making remote management work

Established in Paris, Moscow and Dubai, Brandquad is a master in the art of bringing together very different and culturally distant profiles.

It all starts with quality recruitment. Ideally, it should target the younger generation, because remote management implies a new, more modern way of working. In addition, it is necessary to ensure that candidates are able to work remotely, that they are sufficiently autonomous and receptive to the fact that they are simply “drifted”. It is also necessary to recruit different and complementary profiles, both technical and commercial.

Next, the company must set up network tools to maintain contact between the different collaborators, even though they are physically distant from each other, and to monitor the progress of projects. In order to do so, Trello is a versatile and very well-thought-out tool that brings transparency, follow-up and interaction. For its part, Brandquad uses Skype instant messaging, the Google suite (Drive, Calendar, etc.) and HubSpot.

Finally, priority must be given to the different profile management. Getting people with different cultures and languages to work requires certain measures to be put in place. Employees must be driven rather than micromanaged. In other words, they must be given an objective and be given regular check-ups to ensure that they are progressing well in their work. These points of contact are small rituals that break the distance.

Impact on performance

Overall, remote management has a positive impact on business performance. Distance tends to make employees more autonomous and productive because, especially if they are well driven, they do not feel constantly monitored by their manager. They are more motivated to achieve their goals and are also happier at work.

Above all, remote management requires a trusting relationship between employees and managers. Distance requires an effort of transparency and implies regular reporting. This monitoring allows employees to show the progress of their project and involves them fully in the achievement of their objectives.

Remote management also promotes productivity and the separation of tasks in the sense that each employee is placed in the country he or she knows best. In this way, he or she will be able to gain a competitive advantage and enable the success of his or her company on an international scale.

For Brandquad, remote management is a way of working that is becoming more and more essential for companies in the current context that is emerging: modernization of managerial techniques, recurrent strikes, the Covid-19 pandemic, etc.

Business

Derik Fay and the Quiet Rise of a Fintech Dynasty: How a Relentless Visionary is Redefining the Future of Payments

Published

5 days ago

October 17, 2025

Matthew Wiles

Long before the headlines, before the Forbes features, and well before he became a respected fixture in boardrooms across the country, Derik Fay was a kid from Westerly, Rhode Island with little more than grit and audacity. Now, with a strategic footprint spanning more than 40 companies—including holdings in media, construction, real estate, pharma, fitness, and fintech—Fay’s influence is as diversified as it is deliberate. And his most recent move may be his boldest yet: the acquisition and co-ownership of Tycoon Payments, a fintech venture poised to disrupt an industry built on middlemen and outdated rules.

Where many entrepreneurs chase headlines, Fay chases legacy.

Rebuilding the Foundation of Fintech

In the saturated space of payment processors, Fay didn’t just want another transactional brand. He saw a broken system—one that labeled too many businesses as “high-risk,” denied them access, and overcharged them into silence. Tycoon Payments, under his stewardship, is rewriting that narrative from the ground up.

Instead of the all-too-common “fake processor” model, where companies act as brokers rather than actual underwriters, Tycoon Payments is being engineered to own the rails—integrating direct banking partnerships, custom risk modeling, and flexible support for underserved industries.

“Disruption isn’t about being loud,” Fay said in a private strategy session with advisors. “It’s about fixing what’s been ignored for too long. I don’t chase waves—I build the coastline.”

Quiet Power, Strategic Depth

Now 46 years old, Fay has evolved from scrappy gym owner to an empire builder, founding 3F Management as a private equity and venture vehicle to scale fast-growth businesses with staying power. His portfolio includes names like Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships, BIGG Pharma, Results Roofing, FayMs Films, and SalonPlex—but also dozens of companies that never make headlines. That’s by design.

Where others seek followers, Fay builds founders. Where most celebrate their exits, Fay reinvests in people.

While he often deflects conversations around his personal wealth, analysts estimate his net worth to exceed $100 million, with some placing it comfortably over $250 million, based on exits, real estate holdings, and the trajectory of his current ventures.

Yet unlike others in his tax bracket, Fay still answers cold DMs. He mentors rising entrepreneurs without cameras rolling. And he shows up—not just with capital, but with conviction.

A Mogul Grounded in Real Life

Outside of business, Fay remains committed to his role as a father and partner. He shares two daughters, Sophia Elena Fay and Isabella Roslyn Fay, and has been in a relationship with Shandra Phillips since 2021. He’s known for keeping his personal life private, but those close to him speak of a man who brings the same intention to parenting as he does to scaling multimillion-dollar ventures—focused, present, and consistent.

His physical stature—standing at 6′1″—matches his professional gravitas, but what’s more striking is his ability to operate with both discipline and empathy. Fay’s reputation among founders and CEOs is not just one of capital deployment, but emotional intelligence. As one partner noted, “He’s the kind of guy who will break down your pitch—and rebuild your belief in yourself in the same breath.”

The Tycoon Blueprint

The playbook Fay is writing at Tycoon Payments doesn’t just threaten incumbents—it reinvents the infrastructure. This isn’t another “fintech startup” with a flashy brand and no backend. It’s a strategically positioned venture with real underwriting power, cross-border ambitions, and a founder who understands how to scale quietly until the entire industry has to take notice.

In an age where so many entrepreneurs rely on noise and virality to build influence, Fay remains a master of what can only be called elite stealth. He doesn’t need the spotlight. But his impact casts a long shadow.

Conclusion: The Empire Expands

From Rhode Island beginnings to venture boardrooms, from gym owner to fintech force, Derik Fay continues to build not just businesses—but a blueprint. One rooted in resilience, innovation, and long-term infrastructure.

Tycoon Payments may be the latest chess piece. But the game he’s playing is bigger than one move. It’s a long game of strategic leverage, intentional legacy, and generational wealth.

And Fay is not just playing it. He’s redefining the rules.