Vantaggi
1. Remote and flexible: I found out quickly in a previous role with a different company how much more productive I was. I was able to get a day and half’s worth of work in an office environment finished in one day. 2. Very intuitive and useful software: Suitable for 80-85% of private clubs. Before interviewing and accepting the position, I did my homework and was not only impressed with the number of accounts, but the software itself. As a former class A Professional, I would have loved to use it for members. 3. Initially a Very Fun/Exciting Job: I know the industry very well; with over 10 years of experience as a Class A Professional at three Bay Area Country Clubs (on staff with TaylorMade and Callaway), a PXG Master Club Fitter, and PGA HOPE Instructor. Along the way, I developed countless invaluable connections; setting the table to be successful as the West Coast Club Partner Manager. I was the only employee in California, and was very excited at the prospect of expanding the company’s presence on the West Coast. A big job I knew I could handle.
Svantaggi
1. HR (or lack thereof): Give or take one month into my tenure, the Chief of Staff was let go. She was wonderful in assisting me promptly with any and all needs. The work environment and culture started to slip upon her departure, as did breaking labor laws left and right (both MA and CA, for clarification). A prime example was not offering Cobra upon termination. Massachusetts has a “Mini-COBRA” law for continuation of health care benefits for businesses with 2-19 employees. Not hard to find through Google. I had also informed the Founder of a disability I have in our only 1:1. Accommodations legally have to be offered. This never happened. The list goes on. 2. The CEO/Founder: Doesn't have the pulse of what's going on at his company, and, no, I'm not referring revenue generated, cash flow, etc. While I was at OpenRounds, at least three employees, including myself, felt used. When I was let go on the day after Thanksgiving (not to mention a daughter due in May), this same CEO/Founder sent an email in lieu of at least calling; having the audacity to tell me that in order to look good for investors, cuts needed to be made (which leads into my next point), that my equity will be worth a lot in a few years, and that if I wanted to have a conversation with him to provide feedback we could arrange a time. I'm not sure what world he lives in, but those are feeble attempts to soften the blow of being let go by blatantly lying. Letting me go and validating it to look good for investors by saving 58k a year makes zero sense. Be straightforward with me. In this same email, he promised to be proactive with helping me file for unemployment. Never was. He frequently ignored all of my emails asking where to file, and only replied when I figured out that I could file remotely with MA. He also has not retroactively changed my claim start date so I can receive $4000+ owed in unemployment back pay. MA UI approved it, and said it's on him to take care of his end so I can go back and claim each missing week. Despite asking him several times if he had done so yet, he has yet to reply. Blatantly disregarding my livelihood, no matter how he feels about me is as disrespectful and selfish as it gets. He never made an effort to have 1:1 time with me (I had to initiate one) and didn’t reach out when I was dealing with a serious medical issue. I was encouraged by a fellow ex coworker, who I respect very much, to touch base with him. I am grateful for his kind reply while I recovered, and keeping me around. That I will give him credit for, and motivated me to work even harder when I felt better. My production increased drastically, and his (apparent) empathy led me to feeling comfortable reaching out to valuable personal connections in the industry; handing sales countless leads that turned into OpenRounds accounts and increased revenue. Given that we lost, and never replaced our Chief of Staff/HR, the founder made the mistake many small companies do as cost saving measures: they don't think HR is difficult and try to do it themselves. I have a very comprehensive understanding of labor laws in various states, and under his watch, aka responsibility, several were broken. To boot, 99% of the time he couldn't stand when one of his employees would email him. He would filter messages through the CRO, who also asked that if we have anything we'd like passed along to the CEO, to do it through him. The issue here is the CRO frequently harassed me (I have this and every other violation in writing). With any normal company, HR will handle this and you don't have to worry too much. In this scenario, the CEO was/is responsible for all HR issues. I (validly) was afraid to report to the very same person who had been harassing me. I eventually gave up; afraid it would cost me my job. 3. Compensation: I had to fight and claw to get 58k/yr for a management role. A tipping point was related to reimbursing up to $1100 a month in medical expenses. Problem is, we were rarely reimbursed on time; often taking as long as 3 months. On some occasions, I wasn't reimbursed at all. On one team call, the Founder mentioned it was because he had been so busy. No commission structure for a position responsible for generating revenue. In a previous role, I received a 55k annual salary; with a commission structure that nearly doubled said annual salary. This falls squarely on the CRO and Founder. 4. Toxic Work Environment/Harassment: This is directed at the CRO. He frequently told me to unlike, remove comments (all reasonable and professional), etc. from LinkedIn. I was muzzled. I have several screenshots and various documents in writing proving this. I was often afraid and/or hesitant to reach out to him because he was frequently condescending and rude. In 2022, during a weekly team call, our Founder announced he moved to San Francisco. Caught off guard, I excitedly exclaimed woah! The CRO immediately muttered under his breath, in front of the whole company, "jesus christ, (insert name)". I have in writing from two ex-employees who heard this. 5. Communication: It's almost entirely absent. Employees walk on egg shells and enable the Founder/CEO instead of having the courage to bring him to reality. My inclination is that this is due to several employees who have never worked at a start up before, and believed the company would be sold so they could cash in their equity. You should never be afraid to have a respectful, honest conversation with any start up Founder.