Pros
I enjoy working on a challenging problem in a challenging industry. Vangst is still young enough that you get to wear lots of hats, work on lots of problems that are cross-functional, and have the opportunity to contribute meaningfully in many ways. It's difficult to find that opportunity and really great for keeping things interesting, great for future career prospects and career growth. Everyone that works at Vangst is passionate about Vangst being successful and helping connect people to jobs in the industry. Like anytime you get a passionate group together, there can be disagreements about the best way to achieve the goals. But I know for sure that everyone has Vangst's best interests in mind, and the best interests of our clients and candidates. Vangst has dedicated investors that have continued to support their growth through the ups and downs of industry cycles and larger economic trends like Covid. This is a hidden gem--having great support on the investor front. I think the leadership team does a good job of dealing with change. Sometimes leaders don't work out. Sometimes projects are misses. Sometimes revenue dips. Sometimes there is misalignment. But...the general trend is always good. We're resilient, we get back on track, learn, and do better the next time. It hasn't been an obvious rocketship to the moon success story like you hear about in business media. But Vangst keeps moving in the right direction.
Cons
I think most of the cons are normal startup challenges. There are operational and systems inefficiencies that can make the job harder than ideal. Internal communication norms can improve. We can do a better job of living our values every day. We can be more focused on what projects are most important. But I don't see any of these Cons as unusual for most companies. And they're especially normal in startups.