Vantaggi
Many portions of your operations are semi-independent, so you truly get to bond with your staff, build and mentor a good team. Compensation can potentially be good (if your location is large). Unless your staff falls flat on their face, you typically get something of a bonus. If you're willing to relocate, you can advance quickly and to a larger, more profitable yard which directly translates to better compensation. Benefits package isn’t great, but I’ve seen worse.
Svantaggi
Your compensation is pegged directly to the size of your yard NOT skill or ability. So be prepared to relocate if you want to advance. Bonus - ignore it. The KPI used is constantly changing; published well in the mid-year and most are metrics you lack authority to directly impact. As a General Manager, you have very little discretion on how to run your business; Not allowed a company credit card for expenses or travel. You’re required to travel, but on a reimbursement bases and the authorized accommodations are shared rooms at the hotel-6 (be prepared and know your place). Nepotism is strong. From the CEO (who’s married to the founder’s daughter) down the chain of people commonly referred to as “pre-public”. With both a “Chain of Review” and a “Chain of Influence”, you never made a move without finding out how much the person on the other end is juiced. Seldom will they hesitate to "make a call". The largest problem is the company functions and makes decisions as a creature of consequence. It doesn’t matter if I was dealing with a bidder that felt his purchase was misrepresented or an employee needing guidance and leadership, the tone was always the same – you’re expendable – and HR largely supported this approach. The only exception was with the sellers (insurance company). If they moved, Copart flinched. Some of the buyers started figuring this out and went direct to the sellers with complaints. Copart would trip over themselves to do the right thing.