Pros
1. Incredibly exciting business growing at an insane clip (even in this market). It’s really fun to be part of a business like this. I didn’t leave a cushy corporate job to join a startup with hopes of having a chill, “easy” time; I expected there to be hard work but that hard work to pay off with high growth. That’s been my experience so far and it’s been exhilarating. No doubt there are growing pains to scaling a relatively new company, but that’s what we signed up for and in my opinion, it’s been worth it. 2. The product is that good. It would be disheartening for someone in sales to spend all day selling something that people didn’t want or need. That’s a terrible feeling and one that just doesn’t come up often (or really at all) at Zip. Even (and especially) in this tougher economy, Zip is something companies want and need. Customers and prospects alike love Zip and that makes life easier. You’ll feel fired up coming off of most of your sales calls if you know what you’re doing. 3. Autonomy and trust… If you’ve earned it. It doesn’t matter where you worked before, everyone that joins Zip needs to prove themselves. I find this concept to be true at almost any job, but it’s worth repeating as the concept is apparently shocking to some people. If you do your job, show that you’re a self-starter by perhaps going above and beyond the basic job description, and learn to communicate effectively with your managers, it’s very easy to develop a trusting relationship with leadership. They are eager to work with hardworking people. 4. Personal development and growth opportunities. Again, you have to show your commitment and capability — leadership doesn’t just reward people for waking up and doing the bare minimum. But if you show that you’re a self-starter who’s invested in the company’s growth, leadership will in turn invest back in you and your development. I really trust and appreciate my leadership and feel that I’ve grown tremendously over the past two years.
Cons
Working at a hybrid (remote/in-person) company can be a little tricky for several reasons: 1. Team bonding 2. Engagement 3. Communication gaps Sales leadership has worked really hard to close these gaps. More than ever, I feel connected to leadership and the team. I understand that others in the broader Zip organization may still face these struggles that are inherent to a hybrid or remote-first environment. Personally I’m optimistic given recent progress.