Pros
I joined Kendo 3 years ago, and that was probably one of the best career decision I have ever made. I have finally found my home. I left a cosmetic company that had become too established for me. People were great, however creativity was no longer at the heart of the company and ideas took too long to get implemented. What I love the most about Kendo are its people. I feel lucky everyday to be working with some of the most talented people in the industry. The teams are extremely passionate and everyone wants to do well for the greater vision and to build great brands. Expectations are high, and I personally thrive under that. Kendo is a company that values equally business and creative input. I love that both creative teams and business teams come to the table on a daily basis to bring our brands to life. It is the fine balance where #s don’t take over creativity and vice and versa. Kendo is a company that is fast growing and therefore offers a lot of growth opportunities. What matters is ones contribution and collaboration, and because the company is small, talents get immediately noticed. I have seen many people getting well deserved promotion, that probably would have taken longer in larger companies simply because opportunities are not always available. The small environment also allow people at any level, to contribute and bring their ideas to life. The leadership team is one that has an open door policy. I have not seen one topic that the leadership team has put on the back burner and not addressed. It is true that it probably takes managerial courage to discuss some topics, but when brought up – issues are heard and discussed. It’s been 3 years and I continue to learn everyday from the leadership team but also from my team and my peers. People are extremely generous in feedback, and so we always learn (can be bad sometimes :)), but always great in the end. We coach each other along the journey and we are there for each other.
Cons
While all of the above is great. It is true that Kendo is not for everyone. It is extremely fast paced. The challenging work is rewarding, but I can see how for some people the challenges can be paralyzing. It is not easy every day. We have lots of opportunities to grow in process, the teams have quadruple in less than 2 years and so it is probably not the best place for one that thrives under clear structure. I know that the leadership and the teams are committed to implementing more process and grow the teams to support the amazing growth, and this will take time. In all, Kendo is a great place for beauty junkies, and people who love fast past environments, seeing the impact of their work and being part of a team that loves challenges, and loves to win (as a team :)).