Relaxed remote job with a good mission - Digital Marketing Agile Mind Employee Review

Great mission driven company, Tenured senior management. Great work life balance with very competitive compensation.

No cons from my perspective for the time frame I have been with the company.

The “why” is exactly why I joined Agile Mind. I believe in the company’s mission and vision and wanted to be part of an enthusiastic group working to solve a problem that is close to my heart, increasing equity for communities that are being failed by existing institutions. After spending more than 30 hours in product training and engaging directly with the learning system, as well as seeing student outcomes I could clearly see how impactful both the idea and the company could be for these communities. The integration of ELL resources especially stood out to me. The highlight of my tenure was not only working with my incredibly supportive team, but also connecting with those who had been at the company for years, particularly those working directly with clients on the Professional Services Team (the lifeblood of the organization-huge shoutout to every single person on that team but particularly David, Massie, Andrew, thank you for your professionalism and support.) That team is the true strength of the company and genuinely embodies what Agile Mind aims to represent in its ethos and pathos.

While the ethos and pathos of Agile Mind are rock solid, doing great work with incredible communities, the logos does not match. There is nothing logical about the way the organization functions. From the severe technical debt that nearly disqualifies and sometimes outright disqualifies the sales team from competing or even entering entire states within their territory, to the inability to effectively solve problems, taking months to set up even rudimentary email campaigns and cadences, the sales team’s work is consistently hindered. There is certainly room for improvement at Agile Mind. While I was not there long enough to identify the root cause of where the toxicity originated and it was not my role to do so, especially in the absence of any visible HR function, it was clear that a culture of fear existed around stepping on the toes of longer-tenured team members. Most internal meetings consisted of 80% venting frustrations and 20% updating antiquated spreadsheets with information that already existed in a central repository, Salesforce and could easily have been automated through reports. It became apparent that these spreadsheets were used to give others visibility into who was, or was not, doing their job. I appreciate accountability but at the very least it could be more automated so that more time isn't spent proving that you are doing your job, than actually doing your job. Within my own team, I appreciated the people who supported and guided me through a three-month onboarding process, yes, three months. However, I became accustomed to the sighs when I asked about processes which were often unestablished, or suggested new approaches. This felt like a sign of broader organizational fatigue that permeates the structure. Hearing that the majority of quota attainment came from renewals for one of my peers gave me pause. It suggested that there was not a fair opportunity to hit quota if you inherited a territory that was already deteriorating at its core. Every salesperson complains about territory, but within two months of my tenure, an entire large state was effectively carved out. What it takes to be successful at Agile Mind is something I was not able to fully determine, as my time there was limited and I felt I was trying to fill a 10 foot well, with a tiny tin cup (with a modern firehose available beside me.) Be prepared for varying levels of internal politics, inconsistent transparency, and a somewhat cutthroat environment all while trying to sell a product grounded in a genuinely strong and well-researched mission. I wish my former colleagues the best and hope that, within this complicated system the goal of improving outcomes for students, teachers, and institutions is ultimately realized, even if only incrementally.