Was great until it wasn't - Director of Product Management Stanza Employee Review

I’ve worked at Stanza for more than half a year. I was eager to take on this role because it allowed me to wear multiple hats (this was exactly the type of role I was looking for when I applied). I get to have my hands in so many things here, which has expanded my skill set and has given me a holistic view of the company. I have the freedom to just run with things that I think would be good for the company. I also think the product is great and will be getting better. I love the culture at Stanza, and I am striving to make it even better. I wake up in the morning looking forward to going to “work”. The team here have become my friends, and I feel like Stanza is my little family away from home. I have the opportunity to work with the exec team, and mostly with the CEO/Founder. I can tell you that she is one of the hardest working women I have ever been around. Stanza is her baby and she strives to make sure we are going in the right direction and that the employees are happy and are able to work on things that they believe in. I really enjoy working with her and the team here. Yes it has its ups and downs, but that is just startup life. Nothing is perfect. You have to roll with the punches and be an adult.

Very fast paced. You have to be able to keep up with that, but that is very common in a startup atmosphere.

- interesting clients & partners (sports, entertainment, media) - product and work looks great on a resume - you will learn how not to treat people and what not to do - good for people that are just getting started in their career (exposure and transparency) - good location, catered lunches, unlimited vacation (nobody takes it..but still..it is there) - CEO can sell the product well to strangers (tells a compelling story) - if you are willing, you can make a difference in the short term

- revenue is driven by a fraudulent product (ads are not seen and the product is not engaged with...despite the story that is being told) - company doesn't own the user and doesn't build products for the end-user - moody leadership staff - everyone is micromanaged and / or mismanaged - business people are paid really well which sets unrealistic expectations for when they leave the company (titles are inflated as well) - people do well within their first year but leave as soon as they realize that the company is going in circles and is headed nowhere - leadership keeps talking about the problems of the past and how culture + company is headed in the right direction. There is no evidence of such change - the issues that this company is having are not caused by the fast-paced environment or the nature of the business (the startup excuse), they are caused by the horrible leadership staff