Pros
I worked at Instep for nearly 12 months and can genuinely say that the company culture is one of passion, care, openness, and dedication. Everyone I worked alongside, from peers to learners and clients, exemplified these values, truly wanting success for each other. This type of culture is genuinely rare and refreshing!
Working in an SME that is growing, I admired and learnt a lot about the need to make quick and sometimes bold decisions due to the pressures of being a small business with aspirations to grow and scale. The Senior Leadership Team (SLT) consistently demonstrated transparency about the business's challenges and made swift decisions when necessary to protect and grow the company. While some decisions may not always be palatable, they are often necessary, and the SLT's openness about these matters was commendable. Of course, when these types decisions are made every business (including Instep) can do these better and continue to learn from these.
The team is very open about their growing pains, which are inevitable as they grow and scale. Importantly, they do try to listen to these concerns and respond. While this might not be perfect every time, their genuine effort to listen and respond creatively is evident. As a small business, they have to be creative in how they address issues.
Having worked in several businesses, it was refreshing to see an organisation behave so agilely. Instep's ability to adapt and respond to changing circumstances quickly is a testament to their commitment to growth and success. Overall, my time at Instep was marked by a supportive and dynamic environment. I would definitely recommend Instep as a great place to work where you get a lot of autonomy, are surrounded by fantastic people, and are part of a business that is ambitious and on an exciting journey!
Cons
In every small business that has aspirations to rapidly scale and grow there are going to be growing pains. In the short-term these need to be addressed creatively but as the business grows there will be more investment and opportunities. I think it is important to understand this, and Instep is on a journey (an exciting one).
