3y
As the founder and CEO of BrüMate, as well as the head of product development and design, I lead the team with an innovation first mindset, always focused on improving our products and pushing our brand and team forward. I am not sure "sandbox" is the right word, but I have a burning passion for product and our team does as well. I work closely with all teams, including marketing and creative, and if any changes are made it is part of a group discussion to ensure the whole team is aligned.
We do quarterly goal setting not only as a brand, but as a leadership team, and all of our leaders on the team are responsible for ensuring their respective teams understand what those goals are and how they can contribute as well as quarterly check-ins to see how the team is progressing. I am sorry that you felt that was not the case, and will work with the team to figure out how we can make those goals more clear going forward. I am by no means perfect as a leader, but leadership is a lifelong journey and I am constantly striving to be better. When I do come up short, I am the first to acknowledge it and ensure I don't repeat that mistake twice.
Regarding some of the other commentary, I think there are some misunderstandings and I want to be sure that I clear those up to the best of my ability.
1) Over 20% of our team is fully remote, and we operate in a hybrid work-environment so I am not sure where that idea that you're not allowed to work remote is coming from. We have also had multiple non-remote team members work for extended periods out of state for a variety of reasons without issue.
2) In my 7 years since starting BrüMate I haven't taken a day of vacation where my laptop wasn't with me and I wasn't accessible for my team at all times via email, slack or phone. I always make sure I am available for the team no matter what I am doing.
3) Our compensation packages are ~20% above benchmark and our annual raise range is 75% higher than the national average. We post salary ranges for all roles, and the hiring process is a negotiation with our potential-employees ultimately having the final say as to whether or not they are happy with the offer we are able to provide.
4) I am not sure who / what the reference in regards to meaningless pet projects is about, but I can assure you that every project our team has budget for and is actively working on is driving this company and team forward and serves a purpose. I will ensure that our high-level initiatives and the purpose they serve going forward is more clear.
