StormWind Studios reviews

3.3

55% would recommend to a friend

(283 total reviews)
avatar

Tom Graunke

64% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

StormWind Studios has an employee rating of 3.3 out of 5 stars, based on 283 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The StormWind Studios employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

283 reviews
1.0
Dec 15, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

StormWind attempts to create a good company culture with the modern office and the free snacks, but that aside, they are wolves in sheep's clothing.

Cons

If you don't have a family or any type of social life, this may be the place for you. Expect to work long hours with minimal pay in a stressful working environment. I would not recommend this company. They sell you the dream...hard. Don't buy it. I worked at this company for over 2 years and they hardly followed through with their promises. They say that you'll know exactly where you stand with the company, I received a nice handwritten letter from the owner expressing how proud he was of my work and he was excited to see me grow with the company just a week before getting the box. I guess you can say things can change rather quickly here. The scripture on the walls is great, but the owners and leadership team do not lead by example and are a far cry from the "Christian Leaders" they claim to be. Management has no experience. They're always asking for more and lay on the guilt to get the extra 200%. If you're a worker bee looking to fill someone else's pockets, join the team and make sure you get a seat at the cool kids table or you'll be left behind.

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StormWind Studios Response
10y
Thank you sincerely for your feedback and also your service. While we both know you did not work at StormWind for "over two years" (it was not quite 7 months), I nevertheless take responsibility for missing the mark with you in your short time with us. The comments made about our leadership team are unfortunate. At the sales leadership level, every single one of our leaders started on the phones... just like all of our new team members who join the family. Because of that, we know the duties. We know the challenges. We know the ups and downs of sales. We know the grind and grit of dialing. All of our sales leaders succeeded over time with not just great numbers, but great attitudes, great camaraderie, great humility, great vision, and most importantly, big, harry, and audacious goals. We prefer to promote from within rather than hire "experienced" managers from outside the company. Why? We want to provide every person who takes the plunge with StormWind an equal opportunity to move to leadership, if desired. We have a "teaching hospital" mentality where new leaders are guided, nudged, and taught alongside the senior leaders. This has been our philosophy for over 20 years and the many, many leaders of some of the top companies in the valley who are alumni of our past companies is a testament to this methodology. Also yes, we are always looking for more. Sorry. As Lincoln once said, "No man ever rose to the level of low expectations." Perhaps you should think about challenging yourself for "more" and I think you'll be happier in life and career than merely maintaining a coma of complacency. Unfortunately the vast majority of this world is ok with plodding along and just existing. In our little corner of the world we challenge everyone (especially ourselves) to do better. Why merely exist when you can actually find yourself thriving! Lastly, the remark was made that "game plans are reviews were always talked about but never actually done." Not sure where this wild comment arose from since we speak of our plan and goals nearly every week in our all-hands meetings. I think our nearly 75% growth from year to year for the past 5 years certainly has something to do with that. No way a company can grow like StormWind has grown without everyone (except you, I presume) knowing, understanding, and participating in the execution of that growth. Best succes to you. See you at the top!
1.0
Nov 9, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Long hours, minimal pay, free style coke machine and free granola bars.

Cons

If you are into attending Amway meetings daily this is the place for you. Smoke and mirrors does not accurately describe the load of BS that is served up by an inadequate management staff with little real world experience. I would get into the office at 5:30 am and leave at dark. Making 200 plus cold calls while training Business Development employees all the wile trying to close deals. Upper management rewards mediocrity and the nepotism is rampant. My biggest disappointment is that they sold me a bill of goods that were empty and I was to stupid to not leave sooner. The promise of a six figure income in not relevant unless you are asked to sit at the "cool" table. If you are a seasoned sales veteran take your talents elsewhere...this place is a joke.

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StormWind Studios Response
11y
Wow...I'm very sorry to hear about his experience here at StormWind. As one of the leaders here, we had less than 4 months to work with him and we wish he would have stuck it out a little longer because he does really have some great sales potential. However, I'll try to be clear and candid as possible as I respond to these unfortunate remarks from this ex team member. These remarks were made anonymously and it's disappointing because well over 100+ hard working team members at StormWind put their own name out there everyday on the phones, in emails, on LinkedIn, teaching our classes, and supporting our wonderful clients. We do not hide behind the anonymity of the web, but rather shout from the virtual rooftops about the individual and collective pride we have in helping change an entire category like IT training and guiding so many folks as they rise in their IT career. This has been a constant in our over 23 years in the technology business. Tactically, we make no bones about the fact that perhaps you, as a new sales professional, are entrusting your career, your livelihood, your family, your dreams to us. We do not take that trust lightly. We often claim that it's our job to care about your income when you don't feel like it. Many folks can not or do not want that level of communication or accountability. I would humbly then say that StormWind is not for you. We do not create mere $60K/year telesales reps at our organization. Rather, we try to create and foster $150-300K/year top tier Sales Professionals and that takes time, tenacity, unbridled communication, patience, a love of your craft, and, most of all humilty. You simply can not expect to come into any sales organization and reach the mountaintop in 16 weeks. We cover this in every exhaustive and comprehensive interview process we initiate. We are unequivocally blunt and candid about what it takes to succeed here and what the career ladder looks like. We even require all of our candidates to do their own due diligence on StormWind and its leaders after the interview process ends so they have a "cooling off period" from the initial "honeymoon" of a interview cycle. We think that's important in order to think carefully about whether we are a cultural, compensation, and leadership fit. If not, we will simply shake hands and part as friends. We are not the home for everyone. Do we work hard? Of course. Do we know that B2B sales is difficult? Of course we do. However, I guess calling our meetings "Amway-like" is really a compliment to us. You'll always know where you stand and where we stand as company. You'll always know that we are in your corner to help. And, you'll always know that sales is more mental than it is skill. Any motivational or inspirational advantage we can provide to lift up our team is expected. Additionally, I'm not sure what "over-selling a dream" even means with regard to the comment above. At StormWind we promise that the journey will be difficult but the reward will indeed be great. Sales is a profession where it is far too easy to be mediocre. Without goals, accountability, and guidance, you have a job. At StormWind, we humbly try to provide you with a career. A career to be proud of. A career where you look back and are awed at just how much you've accomplished because of your massive dreams. Plus, do you really want to spend your time and sweat and years work for a company that promises "massive mediocrity (as I think he is somehow suggesting here)?" Not me. Lastly, regarding the unfortunate and disparaging comments about our leadership team, let me say this starting with our senior leadership: Our team started four companies from scratch. One went public and was sold to Computer Associates for $225MM, another started from scratch and was sold to Thomson Reuters for $105MM, another was started from scratch and sold to Experian for $323MM, and, currently, StormWind, too, started from scratch and now shares the same world class investors and board guidance as organizations such as Insight, Twitter, Lyft, and Spotify among others. At the sales leadership level, every single one of our leaders started on the phones... just like all of our new team members who join the family. Because of that, we know the duties. We know the challenges. We know the ups and downs of sales. We know the grind and grit of dialing. All of our sales leaders succeeded over time with not just great numbers, but great attitudes, great camaraderie, great humility, great vision, and most importantly, big, harry, and audacious goals. As a leader at StormWind, I genuinely welcome constructive and specific feedback on what we can do to continue to make our home the right home for all who enter our doors. See you at the top!
3.0
Aug 2, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

This company will push you to succeed and work to arm you with the tools you need to get there. Beautiful office, a friendly, supportive environment, and an unrelenting desire to achieve amazing results. Advancement is readily available to those who perform well in a preliminary sales position.

Cons

This is the CEO's third e-learning company and the process is formulaic. They are looking to expand rapidly, increase profits, and make sales no matter how hard they have to push the team. New workers are brought in far too quickly, and expectations are at times highly unrealistic. The bar is always going to be raised just out of your reach here, no matter what you accomplish or succeed at, they will tell you that you have to work harder and that what you're doing is not enough. It's good to be pushed, but this is a vicious cycle used to keep employees working for approval while making them think that they are inadequate. You will also be asked to come in as early as 5:30am.

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Glassdoor has 291 StormWind Studios reviews submitted anonymously by StormWind Studios employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if StormWind Studios is right for you.