Vantaggi
🟢 Talented and Supportive Team:
The people on the sales team were easily the best part of the job. I was fortunate to be part of a cohort that supported each other from day one. Many of us became fast friends, and that camaraderie was a rare bright spot.
🟢 Strong market need:
The concept behind the product is genuinely valuable. The app addresses real gaps in the manufacturing industry and could be a game changer when properly executed.
🟢 Compensation:
Keychain offered a very competitive base salary, paired with a strong commission structure and decent benefits.
🟢 Founder Commitment:
1 of the 3 co-founders clearly puts his heart into the company. The concept is his brainchild, and he makes an effort to create a relaxed tone during team calls. This was appreciated, especially since it seems like there is pressure coming at him from multiple directions.
Svantaggi
❌ TLDR:
There is a lot of questionable decision-making, a lack of trust, and employee well-being is consistently deprioritized. If you’d like more context, my full experience is outlined below.
🔴 Leadership and Culture:
Sales meetings were held twice daily (9am and 5pm), often redundant, and heavily focused on a select few team members. For the Austin-based sales team, this often felt like micromanagement at best and surveillance at worst. Leadership decisions felt top down and disconnected.
When we started, we were given a strict sales script to follow.
I will be the first to admit that my mistake may have been following the rules and listening to direction. But it is hard not to when you are asked to record a video yourself, reciting their script, and send it directly to C-suite (all while being paid a generous salary). That said, the people who were hitting quota either had a larger book of business from being there longer, or (rightfully) ignored the script and trusted their instincts as seasoned sales professionals. This unintentionally created a culture that rewarded rule breaking over thoughtful execution, which made expectations unclear and success inconsistent.
When I volunteered to attend the first conference I was eligible for in Las Vegas, the CEO initially informed our group of volunteers we would be staying at a motel in a questionable area. A more senior team member had to advocate for us to be placed in a safer location, which resulted in an upgrade to Circus Circus. While we tried to find humor in the situation, it raised real concerns about leadership’s priorities. Whether it was a lack of budget or a lack of consideration for safety-- it was genuinely hard to tell.
🔴 Work-Life Balance:
Unfortunately, there is very little. Weekend emails were the norm, often asking for tasks to be completed before Monday morning. Follow-ups and pressure to deliver by Sunday morning created unnecessary burnout.
🔴 Red Flags around Management:
Direction seemed to shift constantly, usually with little data, context, or clarity. Sales environments are notoriously high pressure, and with 7 years of working in high growth startups, I’m no stranger to “fast pace” / “high growth” startups. However, Keychain brought things to a new level. While 1 of the 3 founders seemed well-intentioned, the presence and attitude of the other two co-founders unfortunately often felt toxic. One frequently appeared distracted on his phone, and the other came across as condescending and dismissive.
🔴 Disorganized onboarding and exit:
I left a steady, bootstrapped role to join Keychain. In the beginning, I was excited about the company’s mission and the product’s potential. And while being recruited with a shiny and competitive salary can be tempting, I urge people to think again.
I was asked to start immediately, which left me balancing two full-time jobs for a week while I wrapped up responsibilities at my previous company.
Despite this early dedication, (including leading calls in Spanish, teaching the sales team about the packaging industry, and Keychain securing my former employer as a client), it felt like my input didn’t count for much.
Less than 4 months in, I was texted/called on a Sunday afternoon to let me know I was being let go from Keychain under the vague explanation that it "was not a good fit." I was never given any prior feedback or performance warnings. During the call in which I was let go, I asked for feedback to help me grow in future roles and was told it would be shared via email. That email never arrived. After waiting a few days, I decided not to follow up, as it felt like the offer was more a formality than a sincere effort toward transparency or professional development.
🔴 Lack of transparency:
The way a few team members (including myself) were let go with no documentation of poor performance, no notice, and little explanation left many of my former coworkers confused and demoralized. This unfortunately created an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty.