Pros
I got to work on an amazing project with pleasant, collaborative team members. I enjoyed contributing to the program in a major way and leaving an imprint on a National level.
Cons
It’s business, right? People are treated as disposable and get discarded all the time — Nothing new, but I just have to warn you if you are a senior level professional considering working for this organization: I witnessed many unprofessional, chaotic and shady management practices by the owner/CEO early on during my contract, so what happened to me was 0% surprising but still disappointing. After being *personally sought out* by the owner to help manage a large, government-funded National program, my contract was terminated 7 months early and I was suddenly locked out of my account without as much as a conversation from the owner, who prides herself on transparency, being a great boss, and someone who’s a “straight shooter.” You can expect to contribute many many hours over several months helping to build the foundation of a multi-million dollar contract — BUT if you don’t commit yourself to working “24/7 around the clock” or “always being available” (including any given night or weekend), then your efforts will not be valued. Buh bye you go. You may want to rethink working here if you plan to take summer vacations or enforce your personal work-life balance boundaries; owner may be triggered to retaliate as she quite apparently doesn’t believe in boundaries or have much of a life outside of business (her words). Red flag #73: Owner regularly and publicly bragged about team members who sacrificed sleeping and eating in order to get work done. And folks… none of this work was a life or death matter. As a team, we worked HARD but none of it ever warranted skipping meals and rest. Owner is not shy about letting anyone know she prefers to hire low-cost talent. Hence why this company employs very few seasoned leaders. Executive team? Nah. Managers? Forget about it. HR? You mean her long time friend who works here part-time because it’s her friend’s company? If you don’t mind being overworked and underpaid, you might somewhat enjoy working here. At least the experience will make for a good story.