Pros
Almost every single one of the women who will be your coworkers are talented, smart, and a joy to work with. Many are mothers, so there’s a sense of cooperation, understanding, and empathy, especially if things are stressful or difficult. Hearing from customers who benefit from the products is always touching. There’s a lot of hard work behind the scenes by employees to accomplish some really great philanthropic initiatives.
Cons
The owner is what makes this company a no-go. Don’t be fooled by the sweet and friendly social media persona — everyone who works with/has worked with her describes her passive-aggressive bullying as “that’s just how she is, you can’t take it personally and let it get to you.” Essentially, it’s their way of coping with her mental and emotional abuse. One of the worst things she does is when creatives pitch her their design or craft or story ideas — she’ll dismiss them, then bring up the ideas weeks later as if they’re her own. If you poke around long enough, you’ll hear about those who tried to confront her about the conditions and were fired or quit on the spot out of frustration. And these were smart, talented people. You’ll also get to see (very underpaid!) contractors being forced to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Technical resources are scarce, so UpWork is used to find the cheapest help possible (usually from another country), which is gross and unethical. There’s no HR of any kind, allowing the toxic culture to run rampant. Turnover is insane, and most employees are contractors, not actual employees. There’s no recognition of long-term contractors, either — those who have stuck it out for two or three years get no acknowledgment of their work anniversaries, despite being some of the hardest-working people there. It’s truly a thankless job, no matter your position. If you’re seriously considering a job there, whether full time, contract, or freelance, I would highly recommend reaching out to as many former employees as possible to get an idea of what your experience will actually be like. If you work there, you will likely come away from this company with serious self-doubt issues and work-related PTSD. It will take some time for you to get back on your feet and recover from the experience.