WORK BETTER NOW CASE STUDY
From High Performers to High-Impact Managers
How Work Better Now scaled its team and strengthened its leadership bench with Oxygen.
YEAR FOUNDED
2018
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES
200+
MISSION
To help awesome talent and companies fulfill their dreams and potential by expanding their capabilities.
Program Feedback
100%
of senior leaders have noticed their managers implementing new performance improving habits on their teams.
100%
course participants who would highly recommend the program to other new managers.
Overview
WorkBetterNow (WBN), a provider of remote talent from Latin America to U.S.-based businesses, grew rapidly from a passion project to one of the fastest-growing companies on the Inc. 5000 list. As the business scaled, CEO Andrew Cohen noticed a common startup challenge: promoting top performers into management roles without giving them the support or structure to succeed.
“We were growing so fast. The people who stood out—the rock stars—got promoted,” said Andrew. “But I realized we were setting them up to fail if we didn’t give them the right tools.”
That’s when Andrew partnered with Oxygen, a management training academy that helps companies turn promising employees into confident, capable managers. Through Oxygen’s cohort-based Management Essentials program, WBN built a stronger leadership foundation, dramatically improved retention, and empowered rising leaders across the organization.
The Challenge
By 2025, WBN had grown to over 50 direct employees and more than 500 remote team members across Latin America. But rapid growth created pressure: employees who excelled in individual roles were being promoted into leadership without a clear roadmap.
Andrew saw the pattern early.
“Rock stars get results—but that doesn’t mean they can manage people,” he said. “Superstars bring others along with them. Promoting someone without support is a mistake. And I didn’t want to keep making that mistake.”
Andrew was already deeply involved in coaching his team. But he also knew his bandwidth was limited—and mentoring alone wasn’t enough.
“I didn’t have a curriculum. I was good at mentoring, but they needed more than that. They needed a real foundation. A playbook.”
He needed something scalable, practical, and proven.
The Solution
Andrew turned to Oxygen to bring in a formal management training solution. What drew him to Oxygen’s Management Essentials program was its unique structure: it combined live coaching, practical tools, and a cohort model that helped rising managers learn from each other.
“It’s not just a lecture,” Andrew said. “They’re getting coaching, learning how to have hard conversations, and practicing in real time with peers. That’s what makes the difference.”
The program focused on:
Foundational skills like communication, prioritization, delegation, and performance feedback
Live coaching sessions with expert facilitators from Oxygen
Peer cohort learning, where managers from different companies troubleshoot shared challenges
Accountability and feedback, including exercises, real-world applications, and follow-up coaching
Results
“It’s not just a lecture. They’re getting coaching, learning how to have hard conversations, and practicing in real time with peers. That’s what makes the difference.”
100%
of senior leaders have noticed their managers implementing new performance improving habits on their teams.
100%
course participants who would highly recommend the program to other new managers.
Denuar Cruz: Building a Recruiting Team from the Ground Up
Denuar started at WBN as a success coach. With limited formal management experience, he was promoted into recruiting, and eventually took over the entire department. After completing the Oxygen program, he now oversees 14 direct reports and manages managers of his own.
“I wouldn’t even call what I was doing before ‘managing,’” Denuar said. “Oxygen helped me step into the role with more structure.”
The most valuable part for him? The peer cohort model.
“Hearing from other managers in totally different industries who had the same problems—it was eye-opening. We’d bring real issues to the group and solve them together.”
The program also gave him a long-term relationship with his Oxygen coach, Heather, who he still meets with monthly.
“She gives me an outside perspective I didn’t know I needed.”
And the results were tangible: better team performance, more confident leadership, and increased retention. “We all see it,” Denuar said. “The way we run one-on-ones, hold people accountable, and follow through—it’s a whole new level.”
“We all see it. The way we run one-on-ones, hold people accountable, and follow through...it’s a whole new level.”
Silvana Rosetti: From Executive Assistant to Director of IT
Silvana’s journey is another testament to WBN’s approach to growing talent from within. She started as Andrew’s assistant. Today, she’s the Director of IT, leading a high-performing technical team.
“I always knew she was 10x,” Andrew said. “She just needed the right support to grow into that.”
Through Oxygen, Silvana gained the confidence, structure, and tools to lead effectively—especially around time management, feedback, and delegation.
“I used to reschedule or skip one-on-ones when things got busy,” she admitted. “Now I never do that. I protect that time. It’s where real growth happens.”
She also appreciated the program’s focus on accountability and upward management—two areas she hadn’t been trained in before.
“I learned how to lead while still being myself,” she said. “Now I feel confident making tough decisions and having hard conversations—and my team sees the difference.”
Invest in training that drives results
Your managers are the bridge between your strategy and your results.
Investing in their success isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s a business imperative.
👉 Schedule a Consultation to learn how Oxygen can help you build a stronger, higher-performing organization.