Pros
• Opportunity. This is an early stage startup, and as far as company stages go it’s at the sweet spot for new employees. Much of the earliest stage risk is gone – product market fit is overwhelming, and families want what it’s building. The stickiness is there, so now it’s just about scaling and tuning to meet that demand. Those successes being in place, it’s still early enough to come in at the ground level, be an early employee, and make a significant impact. It’s a choose your own adventure type stage, where if you prove yourself a value creator you’ll unlock some really significant career opportunities. Equity here is also a great bet, the value already having multiplied by 100% more than once. • Culture. This company has put a pretty notable focus on identifying, articulating, and championing its internal culture. They’ve codified “the Pinwheeler’s Principles,” and each speaks to how they operate in key areas (individual contribution, collaborative decision making, communication, feedback, approach to others, etc). Acts of cultural heroism are celebrated, and having values that are so authentically aligned with our own is refreshing and motivating. • Wellness focus. As a healthy tech company, there’s already an external focus on wellbeing in the product area. That focus also holds internally though, and each person on the team is encouraged and equipped to spend quality time with their own families, pursue balance in their own lives, and be well so that they can contribute well. • Transparency. This company is notably transparent internally. They operate openly, and if there’s something you want to know it’s easy to get the answer – there’s not weird dynamics or obfuscation of answers. They regularly share results and data back to the team on everything from sales to growth to hiring to fundraising. • Team. There’s a clear filter in place for A-players, as each person on the team brings a markedly high level of skill, excellence, and dedication. It’s a pleasure to work with people that sharpen you and raise the bar alongside you. This is also an incredibly generous team, where people support each other through the low points and celebrate each other at the high ones. No man left behind is an outpouring of that – you won’t ever find yourself struggling alone. • Leadership. The CEO sets the tone of leadership by embodying what it means to be a servant leader. Leadership here is focused on people-led success, and starts with equipping teams at an individual level with what they need to accomplish the goals. • Mission. Breaking the cycle of tech addiction by equipping the next generation with tools and training to use technology in a healthy way is an incredible mission. It’s easy to be excited to start work when your work already has an impact on thousands of families and is set to reach many, many more. • Impact. This is a company where you can have really uniquely high impact. The many opportunities and high autonomy make it a major needle mover for career and personal development, and the size and quality of the team make it a place where you can really impact your peers’ lives, too. And, of course, from the smallest to-do to the highest level strategy, you’re making an impact in a child’s life, and helping to determine the digital future of the next generation.
Cons
• Resources. Being a startup, things are scrappy. This is a con if you prefer to operate with substantial resources in each area. Resources will increase with success over time, but at this stage especially it's essential that you be a value conscious steward of the resources available. Resources here are both a constraint on one type of doing and an opportunity to get creative with other ways of doing. • Predictability. Things are becoming more consistent over time as rhythms are tested and patterns are established, but this is still a high flexibility environment. The company changes quickly and fluidly in response to market, investor, or employee needs, and things don’t always stay the same. • Super Specific Direction. If you prefer a very clear mandate that doesn’t change much and doesn’t require a lot of your mental bandwidth or thought, you may struggle here. The company is built on a work style of seeing, solving, and doing, and each individual is expected to step up to the plate with critical thought, feedback, and a bias for action. As far as management style goes, the company is much closer to the “open ended autonomy” side than the “micromanagement” one. If you don’t have a vision for your role or impact, this will be a struggle. If you do, it’s a lot of creative license to make that vision happen. • Certainty. A startup isn't a bet to make for the person looking for stability and certainty. While this startup is much more stable than the majority, it’s still a startup. If you want (near) certainty over your career with a company and its outcome, you’re probably better off elsewhere as this is pretty far on the other side of an established, century old Fortune 500. The risk is higher, and so is the opportunity.