InsideView Technologies - A Day in My Life

I came to InsideView with a lot of apprehensions. I had never heard of it before, didn't know what it does, where it was located, and worst of all, whether it would survive. I had always worked for big well settled businesses. I constantly asked myself "what if the company closes down tomorrow?". Despite all this, I took up the challenge and here I was, in Hyderabad. This is what I've been "into" since my Day One here.

Eight long months have passed, and I still look forward to coming to work. Let me tell you exactly what motivates me. I work on projects that interest me, I DO have a choice of saying NO; I attend the bi-monthly CEO call, just like everyone else, I attend the weekly development meeting, even though I'm not in the development team, our MD asks us all before drafting a new policy, our CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) updates us regularly on the latest developments, everyone knows the names of everyone's wives and kids, we plan our weekends, dinners, and movie schedules. There are many more such instances where I'm made to feel important, an integral part of the company, and where my opinion matters. I'm not just another employee who's supposed to do the same work day in and day out.

The reasons to be here, and in similar start-ups are plenty. It's only after coming here that I've realized what actually goes on behind setting up and growing a company. The dynamics of hiring the right people, the nuances of making the most employee friendly policies, the trends in the market and how the top leaders analyze them. I learn something new in every meeting I attend. I'm asked to contribute to the monthly notifications sent to the clients and the VC's. The experienced never flaunt their exposure, the freshers are not naive, and the Directors and Presidents don't eat their lunch in an executive suite. I'm given an opportunity to learn what I don't know, and mentor experienced people. I've learned here what it takes to grow a product, see in reality what the customer demands, see the faith and trust that employees put in. I've seen a culture here that so far I saw only on huge billboards in conference rooms: No politics, No bias, Open communication, etc. These are the same Culture Statements I've been hearing all along, but the first time that I'm experiencing them.

The CEO talks to everyone twice a month, shares the progress on further funding, the CMO shares his roadmap, his ideas, and new plans with everyone, the sales people mail regularly to update everyone on the latest developments on the sales front. The PR team mails us about the response that the company is getting. Everyone knows what every department is upto, and how it's performing. No one is meant to be in a shell of their own domain, the world here is to know everything you want to know.

I've been here long enough now to feel the pulse of the people around me. Some have been here since the time that they had to work from their own home. Today we're 20 people in the India office, and every single one of us shares my passion. It'll be important for me to mention here that unlike the general belief of start-ups not compensating adequately, I beg to disagree. The scanario is changing, the VC's wre willing to put their money in new ideas, funding is flowing in from many directions, and companies like InsideView are putting this money in hiring the best people, creating a great workplace, and developing a very intelligent product. I can tell you as an insider, the money is definitely at par with what you'd make anywhere else, maybe even more.

Gone are the days when talented people would work only for the most reputed brands, when the VC's supported only those who had a very promising growth, when vendors worked with start-ups only after a guarantee. The world is changing, the face of business is shifting towards those who take a chance, and it's companies like InsideView who are giving employees a reason to stay on.

Don't worry before taking a risk. go for it, you never know you may like it. Share your thoughts on this, share the practices that we could make "Best Practices". Let's make our second home truly our second home.