Pros
Initially it seems like a really fantastic job. You will feel like you are going to be part of the next Amazon.com for the sign industry and that your ship has sailed. A start-up company kind of feel with young workers, where you get in on the ground level and you'll think you can share ideas. Owners are driven to say the least, one will be impossible to get a hold with a closed door most of the day or an open one but with headphones on. The other owner will be involved in every detail of the day to day. (From sales - accounting - production) You will learn about E-commerce and Marketing/Advertising initiatives. The job will teach you some of the printing industry which you can take the experience with you, but this is not like any typical print shop. Given the micro-management, rush orders, and fast paced industry, you will actually grow and get better at your job if you push forward because you will be analyzing yourself to make sure everything you do is up to unrealistic expectation. This can be a good thing in moderation, but will soon get old. One of the owners is an extremely good negotiator and you may learn some things from her on this end of things, just retain your humility in the process. She can be very matter-of-fact, not understanding and cold. The company has a will to grow, and a vision for success which could be a great opportunity but they don't realize they hold themselves back, not by the way they treat their customers, but by the way they treat their employees.
Kontras
The longer you are there the harder it will get. The Company does not have your best interest at heart, and lean more to the greedy side of things. Lower Salaries, Poor vendor relations (from price over-negotiation and extreme expectation), benefits are based on the tax write off the company gets, etc. Extremely high turnover rate, with No real job security. Industry low pay compared to standard. The job you sign on for will double in scope…. As well they operate more under-staffed (they are smaller than they let on), and don't have a clear business model so your position will change especially if you show you know more than they initially thought. Your hours will be erratic depending on your position. You will be expected to hit unreasonable sales #'s with little commission, and high production #’s because of quick turn around necessity. You will be berated and micro-managed on every decision you make especially if you are upper management. This comes directly from the owners of the company, one more so than the other. You may sign on for a percentage bonus (quarterly) initially based on company performance. Don’t expect to get their promised %, no matter how well you or the company do, if you get a bonus at all. It’s a sales ploy to get you to sign on. If you voice dissatisfaction, you may as well sign your 2 week notice because your job will never be the same. They will have you sign a non-compete clause and make you wipe out your linked-in account or anything else that they don’t like. You must turn in a daily tracker to the owner saying what you accomplished for the day (even if it was a slow day) and also CC the owner on your e-mail interactions with vendors making your job very difficult and under constant scrutiny. The company does monitor and screenshot every single thing you do on your computer, and monitors all calls as well. it matters not what it is. So be very careful of anything personal whatsoever especially your personal e-mail. In their Employee handbook, one of the several questionable entries is they say they have the right to search anything on their property at anytime including your cell phone. (Unethical practices) You will operate on Instant Messenger primarily between departments and be expected to be accessible by that at all times, especially on your cell phone. It can be 7:00 at night on the weekend. It doesn’t matter. Conflict of interest with the Hr Manager and Owner being the same person (at least when I was there) especially if you mainly had an issue with that person. If you voiced it you were told you would be written up for insubordination.