Four friends with a modest budget and a simple idea to sell sunglasses online hardly seemed like a threat to luxury eyewear giants. Yet that beginning would become one of Europe’s most remarkable startup transformations, catching the attention of seasoned investor Alejandro Betancourt López and ultimately reshaping how consumers think about accessible luxury eyewear.

The Spanish startup’s trajectory changed dramatically when Betancourt López led a €50 million funding round in October 2016, one of the largest startup financings in Spain at that time. One month later, the company’s board appointed him as president, recognizing that his global business experience could unlock the brand’s international potential. What followed was a methodical expansion that would take Hawkers from a regional e-commerce experiment to a brand with operations across more than 20 countries.

From Digital Native to Manufacturing Pioneer

Hawkers began as something entirely different—a platform for Spanish users. The founders quickly noticed that sunglasses were selling well and made the pivotal decision to focus exclusively on eyewear. This pivot proved prescient, but the company still faced significant challenges competing against established brands with decades of market presence.

Alejandro Betancourt López recognized that controlling the supply chain would be critical for maintaining quality while keeping prices competitive. Under his leadership, Hawkers brought manufacturing in-house, establishing production facilities in Spain, Italy, and China. This strategic move allowed the company to maintain strict quality standards while responding quickly to market demands—a significant advantage over competitors relying on third-party manufacturers.

Rewriting the Marketing Playbook

Traditional luxury eyewear brands had long relied on celebrity endorsements and glossy magazine spreads. Betancourt López chose a different path, investing heavily in digital marketing and social media engagement at a time when many established brands still viewed these channels skeptically.

The strategy centered on partnering with micro-influencers—college students and young professionals with authentic social media followings. Rather than pursuing expensive celebrity deals, Hawkers distributed products to smaller influencers who could genuinely connect with their audiences. This grassroots approach created organic buzz that traditional advertising couldn’t replicate, particularly among younger demographics that represented Hawkers’ core market.

Geographic Expansion Through Cultural Adaptation

Betancourt López understood that global expansion required more than simply translating websites and shipping internationally. Each new market demanded careful study of local preferences and buying habits. The European expansion came first, leveraging the company’s Spanish roots and EU trade advantages to establish footholds in France, Germany, and Italy.

The American market presented different challenges. U.S. consumers were accustomed to either high-end designer brands or generic drugstore options, with little middle ground. Hawkers positioned itself as the accessible luxury alternative, partnering with American college students and lifestyle influencers who embodied the brand’s youthful energy. The approach worked—American sales grew as consumers discovered they could own fashionable eyewear without the traditional luxury markup. Today, Hawkers operates successfully across Europe, North America, and Latin America, with Alejandro Betancourt López continuing to guide its strategic direction as the company explores new markets and product categories.

Read: How Alejandro Betancourt López Built a Billion-Dollar Empire Through Diversification

Hybrid work is no longer an experiment—it’s a strategic reality that requires deliberate policies, purposeful workplace design, and strong leadership to deliver sustained productivity and engagement. Organizations that treat hybrid work as a one-size-fits-all option risk lower collaboration, higher turnover, and wasted real estate. The goal is to design a hybrid model that supports business outcomes and employee well-being.

Define clear hybridity with outcomes, not just schedules
Start by defining what hybrid means for the organization.

Instead of mandating days in the office, tie expectations to outcomes: project milestones, team collaboration sessions, customer touchpoints, or role-specific responsibilities.

Clear expectations reduce ambiguity and make performance assessments fairer.

Optimize the office for interaction, not isolation
The office should be a collaboration engine rather than a workstation substitute. Reconfigure space for:
– Collaboration hubs for workshops and cross-functional meetings
– Quiet zones for heads-down work when presence is required
– Flexible hot-desking with reservation tools to manage demand
– Tech-enabled meeting rooms that give remote participants equal voice

Invest in meeting hygiene and inclusive rituals
Poor meeting design is one of the biggest hybrid productivity killers. Implement meeting standards: agendas circulated in advance, defined roles (facilitator, note-taker), strict time limits, and asynchronous prework when possible.

Use hybrid-friendly formats—camera-on for small groups, raised-hand features for larger calls, and a designated remote liaison to surface virtual participants’ input.

Rethink performance and feedback cycles
Shift from time-based measurement to value-based metrics: delivery timelines, customer satisfaction, quality indicators, and cross-team dependencies.

Shorten feedback loops with frequent 1:1s and pulse surveys that measure engagement, workload balance, and managerial support.

Transparent career pathways and promotion criteria reduce remote marginalization.

Leverage technology, but prioritize human workflows
Adopt tools that make hybrid collaboration seamless—shared project boards, asynchronous video updates, centralized documentation, and smart scheduling.

However, technology should enable human workflows rather than create more notifications to manage. Standardize where information lives to prevent knowledge silos.

Create a culture of intentional presence
Encourage purposeful office weeks or collaboration sprints where teams plan joint work sessions in advance. Promote rituals that foster connection—onboarding buddy programs, cross-team demos, and company-wide town halls with real Q&A. Psychological safety remains crucial: people must feel comfortable sharing ideas and admitting mistakes whether remote or on-site.

Manage real estate strategically
Hybrid models afford the chance to optimize space. Evaluate usage patterns and reallocate square footage from fixed desks to collaboration amenities.

Consider flexible lease terms, satellite hubs close to talent pools, and hot-desking policies that align with actual utilization.

Measure what matters
Track metrics that reflect both productivity and experience: task completion rates, cycle times, customer outcomes, employee net promoter scores, and voluntary turnover. Use these indicators to iterate policies and to communicate progress to stakeholders.

Build hybrid skills through training
Provide managers and employees with skill-building resources: remote leadership, asynchronous communication best practices, and facilitation techniques for inclusive meetings. Training reduces friction and levels the playing field for distributed teams.

Making hybrid work well is an ongoing process of experimentation, measurement, and adaptation.

When policies focus on outcomes, spaces are designed for interaction, and culture supports equitable participation, hybrid models can deliver the flexibility employees value while preserving the collaboration businesses need.

As more organizations adopt remote-first or hybrid models, leadership approaches must evolve to maintain productivity, employee engagement, and a strong culture. Remote-first leadership is less about technology and more about practices that prioritize clarity, autonomy, and psychological safety. Leaders who master these practices create teams that deliver consistent results while enjoying better retention and creativity.

Focus on outcomes, not hours
A core shift for remote teams is measuring work by results rather than visible time. Define clear objectives and measurable deliverables for each role. Use outcome-based performance metrics—such as project milestones, customer satisfaction, or revenue targets—so expectations are transparent and progress is trackable without policing schedules.

Adopt asynchronous communication with rules
Asynchronous communication reduces context switching and respects different time zones and working styles. Establish team norms: which channels are for urgent matters, what constitutes an FYI, and expected response timeframes. Encourage concise updates in shared docs and threads to keep work discoverable and reduce repetitive meetings.

Create predictable structures and rituals
Routine creates stability.

Weekly planning sessions, biweekly 1:1s, and monthly retrospective reviews create cadence and reinforce alignment. Rituals help distributed teams feel connected: a short weekly all-hands with highlights, a rotating “show-and-tell” where teams demo work, or a welcome ritual for new hires.

Invest in onboarding and continuous learning
Onboarding remote employees needs to be intentional. Provide a structured first-90-days plan with clear goals, mentorship pairings, and technical setup checklists.

Ongoing learning opportunities—virtual workshops, cross-functional shadowing, and regular feedback cycles—keep skills sharp and career pathways visible.

Prioritize psychological safety and inclusion
Remote environments can magnify feelings of isolation.

Leaders should model vulnerability, invite diverse perspectives, and normalize constructive disagreement.

Use meeting formats that ensure equitable participation—ask quieter team members for input, rotate facilitators, and use anonymous feedback channels when needed. Inclusivity also means equitable access to resources and visibility for remote contributors.

Leverage tools thoughtfully
Technology should reduce friction, not create it. Choose a limited set of tools for project management, documentation, and synchronous meetings. Ensure documentation is centralized and searchable so decisions and context aren’t trapped in chat. Provide training to avoid tool fatigue and set expectations for their intended use.

Strengthen manager capabilities
Managers in remote settings become linchpins for engagement.

Train managers to coach, give outcome-focused feedback, and spot early signs of burnout. Encourage managers to schedule regular career conversations and to set norms for availability that prevent constant on-call pressure.

Protect employee well-being
Remote work blurs boundaries between work and home. Encourage flexible hours, promote intentional time off, and model healthy behavior from leadership. Provide resources for mental health, and design workloads with sustainable pacing to avoid chronic overtime.

Measure and iterate
Create a small set of leading indicators—cycle time, customer NPS, employee engagement scores, and time to onboard—and review them regularly. Use data to experiment with new practices, drop what doesn’t work, and scale what does. Frequent, lightweight retrospectives keep improvements grounded in team reality.

Practical checklist for leaders
– Define 3–5 outcome metrics per team
– Publish communication norms and expected response times
– Run structured onboarding and mentorship for new hires
– Schedule regular cadence: 1:1s, planning, retrospectives
– Limit core tools and centralize documentation
– Train managers on coaching and remote team dynamics
– Monitor well-being indicators and promote time off

Remote-first leadership is a strategic advantage when executed intentionally. By focusing on outcomes, establishing predictable rituals, and investing in people and processes, organizations can achieve high performance while creating a work environment where employees feel trusted, supported, and motivated.