An incredible Company with a passionate CEO - Recensione dipendente - Fractional CFO presso Live Your Message

I was looking for an environment where I could expand and grow in my career, master my craft and be rewarded with more responsibility and bigger opportunities. That's exactly what I got at Live Your Message. It's an environment where excellence actually matters, which I love. They really want to grow their people, and massively invest in providing direct, constructive & positive coaching to every team member, so you can see how to actually get better at your job, and get to the next level of your abilities. This feedback is always shared in private with my supervisor, NEVER publicly as someone suggested here (I've literally never seen that happen.) LYM is focused on excellence and growth, which is super-exciting to me personally. While I feel like I'm at the top of my game, and I know that there's so much more I'm capable of. It's a very goals-focused company, which I love because I can see exactly how to win in my job. I know my metrics, and I know how I'm going to get there. If I ever need more resources, they're provided to me immediately. If I ever need coaching or advice from my supervisor, I can get it pretty much right away. Bottom line, this company wants its employees to succeed and in contrast to other companies I've worked for, actually invests in making it happen. They offer unlimited time off, as long as you're meeting the targets that you and your supervisor mutually agree on. On the flipside, another thing I love is how much this company cares about its customers. They recently invested over $50K into an AI-powered tool to help their students be more successful. They didn't have to do that, but the fact they did speaks volumes about why they're doing this.

If you want a job where you can coast, hide, or get away with the bare minimum, this environment won't be for you. You're constantly challenged to lift your game here. If you'e comfortable being mediocre at what you do, this environment won't be for you. Not a con in my book, but it might be for some. And if you can't handle direct, candid and constructive feedback on your work immediately so you can understand exactly what's needed from you to excel in your role, this company isn't for you either. The folks who didn't last here (and presumably who left bad reviews) were shocked to receive feedback that they could do better. I welcome it. It's the only way to grow. So if the idea of excellence and growth isn't at all exciting to you personally, I'd avoid.

I worked from home. Also a con when there is zero work/life balance.

I have never experienced a work environment as chaotic, emotionally volatile, and professionally damaging as this one. The CEO creates a culture driven by fear, unpredictability, and public humiliation. Many of the reviews describing narcissistic behavior felt painfully accurate during my experience there. Employees are routinely criticized in front of others, and mistakes, even minor ones, are amplified publicly rather than handled constructively or professionally. During the hiring process, I specifically asked what success would look like at 30/60/90 days because I value clear expectations and onboarding support. What I encountered instead was an expectation to operate at full capacity almost immediately, with minimal training, incomplete context, and constantly shifting priorities. Within days of starting, I was assigned a major high-pressure asset with an unrealistic turnaround timeline and almost no onboarding. Even when the project succeeded, it still was not enough. The biggest issue was the constant moving of goalposts. Expectations were vague, inconsistent, and frequently changed after work had already been completed. I was often told to execute something a specific way, only to later be criticized for following those exact instructions. Over time, this creates an environment where employees second-guess themselves constantly and become afraid to make decisions at all. The company operates in near-constant urgency mode. Everything is treated as an emergency, yet many deadlines are delayed by leadership bottlenecks, particularly around approvals. Critical feedback and approvals are often only available during narrow windows based entirely on the CEO’s availability or mood. When those delays inevitably impact timelines, blame is pushed downward onto employees. There is also little respect for work-life balance or realistic workload expectations. Employees are expected to be highly responsive at all times, including outside normal work hours. Part-time contractors are often treated as if they are full-time salaried employees without corresponding compensation, support, or boundaries. The lack of systems, training, documentation, and proactive communication makes it extremely difficult to succeed. Many mistakes happen not because employees are incapable, but because people are forced to execute under intense pressure without adequate process, context, or time to follow best practices. What made the experience especially difficult was the emotional environment. Marisa’s communication frequently felt reactive, intimidating, and emotionally dysregulated. Rather than fostering collaboration, growth, or psychological safety, the culture often felt rooted in control, blame, and criticism. I left this role questioning my own abilities in ways I never had before, despite having a successful professional background prior to joining the company. In hindsight, the environment itself was the problem. I would strongly caution anyone considering working here, especially those who value healthy leadership, mentorship, clear communication, professional development, or work-life balance.