Cotopaxi reviews

3.1

44% would recommend to a friend

(136 total reviews)

Lindsay Shumlas

46% approve of CEO

44% positive business outlook

Cotopaxi has an employee rating of 3.1 out of 5 stars, based on 136 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Cotopaxi employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

136 reviews
4.0
Jan 9, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Young energetic team that feels passionate about not just creating fun products but also doing good along the way -Young company means the opportunity to build programs and create your own path a bit -Lot of great ownership over your job and projects -They really do their best to try and treat employees with empathy. I experienced this in my first month there and it never changed. When I left, my exit interviews were nothing but incredibly thoughtful and it made me feel fortunate to have been a part of the story even though it no longer made sense for me to stay. -Open PTO with managers that don't micromanage -The Wild Time policy is really cool and I was able to take advantage of that to volunteer every week. Junior team members do feel pressure to not take this time but I frankly think that's just a matter of making a big push to help them understand that they ultimately need to take ownership of work/life balance. It is easy for companies to offer benefits like this but harder to actually make a concerted effort to push people to acknowledge it's okay and encouraged for them to take this time -Brand recognition that really holds more weight in the industry than some junior team members even believe -If you are massively passionate about the outdoor industry you will fit in swimmingly while also finding less of the BS from other outdoor companies -They exclusively hire for niceness which sounds bizarre and there are some cons to the way the policy is framed, but all in all, it creates a genuinely nice team -Opportunity to work on unique projects and insert your viewpoint -They manager I had when I left was not a fit for me but I worked with and under a few incredible managers while there that really took care to listen to my feedback and empower me to be creative with my projects

Cons

-Young company that at the time I was there didn't have HR which was desperately needed -Like most companies, communication between teams and managers could improve -A can do culture is great but can also be stressful and make employees resent the amount of work they're taking on -Career development outside of the office is limited which is also a general issue in the outdoor industry -Younger inexperienced team comes with it's own challenges -No 401K which was important to me -Growth and salary increases are tough with young companies but they take pride in encouraging employees to take advantage of shares that will hopefully pay out -Management training for newer managers could probably go a long way -Transparency and discussion for tough decisions, changes, and uncomfortable conversations needs some improvement. -Management team makes a lot of effort to promote mentorship to an unofficial degree but actually providing the resources and framework to make this happen would help -If you like structure, this company could be a tough fit which is ultimately what I found

5.0
Sep 6, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

My experience at Cotopaxi has been really positive. I've been given the opportunity to contribute at a meaningful level across a variety of business units. This is due in part to the fact that as a start up, we all wear a lot of hats. It's also due to the fact that the workplace culture is very collaborative. Given we are building this company from scratch, this environment is a lot of fun for people who love the challenge of building and creating across all areas and functions of business. This is also a culture of embracing the change that comes from a rapidly growing business. Generally speaking strategy doesn't change too often, but the tactics of a specific strategy can change based on performance. Sometimes this can cause a bit of frustration in the team which is understandable, but in my observation it's always done for the health of the company and spirit of failing fast and applying those learnings to the next tactic. Bottom line, because of the exposure to various disciplines, the autonomy, etc. you learn a lot here very quickly, and you are given a ton of responsibility and trust to get the job done. Work/life balance is better than any other place I have worked. We have flexible time each week to get outside or volunteer. I rarely get a call, slack, or email from anyone at work before 9am, or after 5pm. If it's a powder day, I don't expect to see my team in before noon. The people you get to work with are my favorite part. This company attracts and retains a really great group of people that believe in the mission of the company and are seeking a different kind of career experience. A strong camaraderie develops from the shared experience of building a company from the ground up, and all the fun, and challenges that come along with it. I've laughed more, and met more fun people at this company than any place I have worked.

Cons

In the first few years of the business we under invested in HR and this has led to some pain points around people strategy, professional development, and some of the tactical HR components. This is being addressed however and should improve in the near term. The exec team has acknowledged this is an area of opportunity and in my observation is committed to improving things here. Given most people wear both strategic and tactical hats, and there is a lot of work to be done, we sometimes run into disconnects between teams that cause frustration. Actively trying to do better at long term planning and the right types of touch points, and processes to connect strategy to tactical execution, and measure how we did would be beneficial.

5.0
Sep 5, 2019

Ideal for builders

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Cotopaxi has been experiencing hyper growth over the past 2 years. This brings with it tremendous personal/professional growth opportunities but also requires a lot of flexibility from employees. The organization is still very much in startup mode, nimble, with limited resources, flat hierarchies and an expectation of a 'can do/yes' attitude and growth mindset. This also includes culture which is ever changing, without losing sight of the true 'why' of the brand re global poverty alleviation.

Cons

"People want to be part of a rapidly growing organization but they don't want things to change." This was shared by an experienced CEO whose organization had also undergone rapid growth over the past few years. It rings true to me. Employees for whom structure and process maturity is a must to thrive, this may not be the place... yet.

Viewing 121 - 123 of 136 Reviews

Glassdoor has 150 Cotopaxi reviews submitted anonymously by Cotopaxi employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Cotopaxi is right for you.