One month in…what’s life @ m3ter really like?

In my last piece, I expressed what it was that attracted me to m3ter: what fuelled the decision to leave a comfortable job, during a global pandemic, to join a rising scale-up in a new industry. 

Now, over one month in, the key question is this: does the reality of life at m3ter live up to those initial impressions?

I’m delighted to report that, as outlined below, thanks to m3ter’s conscious effort to create an empowering, supportive, vibrant environment, the answer is a resounding yes!

The "How"...

Trust & Transparency

As part of my induction, I’ve spent time understanding the business and getting to know the team. It’s been encouraging to learn that so many of the current team not only worked with the founders at their previous start-up, but also left good jobs to join them again at m3ter. Because of this, there’s a deep trust and respect already built into m3ter.

I’ve seen m3ter’s commitment to deliberately share information in action. Everything is documented and shared candidly in stand-ups and all hands. This is especially valuable for a new joiner needing to get up to speed. People have openly shared perspectives on key decisions – whether the launch strategy or recruitment process – and engaged in healthy, constructive debates.

Focus on agency & ownership

m3ter is dedicated to enabling a culture in which agency and ownership reign supreme. Since joining, I’ve witnessed the implementation of “product squads” – small multi-disciplinary teams that combine contributors from Engineering, Data, Product, and UX. Each squad has clear responsibilities for specific products or features, and every member has a high degree of autonomy in achieving this responsibility. There is no busy work – regardless of level or experience, m3ter aspires to ensure that what each squad member does each day truly matters and has an impact. 

Opportunities to learn and grow from day 1

Given that learning and growth are part of my “what matters most”, I was thrilled to discover that m3ter prioritised these during onboarding. In the first week, the company connected me to thought leaders, advisors, and people specialists, and encouraged me to take the time to build relationships. 

One of the greatest perks at m3ter is the access we have, through our VC’s, to networks of talented individuals, best practice resources, and ongoing events. We have raised funding from some of the most prestigious VCs in the world, including Union Square Ventures and Insight Partners. These VCs provide an invaluable level of support and opportunities for their portfolio companies. In the last 30 days, I’ve attended a peer-learning people leadership breakfast (thanks to Kindred Capital), engaged in USV webinars, and been connected to dozens of communities focused on people, talent, diversity and inclusion. Through this exposure, I’ve already added new tools onto my HR belt. I’m extremely grateful to m3ter for enabling this, and it fills me with excitement to know that this will be an ongoing part of my journey here. 

The "Who"...

A friendly, supportive, talented team

m3ter is a remote-first business. Whilst I am a keen advocate of remote working, it can nonetheless be intimidating joining a new company. However, I could not have asked for a warmer welcome. Day 1 involved countless messages from the team, introducing themselves, encouraging me to reach out. Thanks to this, I’ve already had the chance to meet everyone 1:1 for a virtual coffee, which accelerated my ability to feel part of the team (as did receiving some swanky m3ter swag before joining!). I’m particularly grateful for my “onboarding buddy” Dave, who has been a constant source of support, warmth, and wisdom. 

Everyone at m3ter is highly competent. Team leaders have vast experience. Rob, our Chief Data Scientist, and Jon, our VP Engineering, provide great mentorship to their teams. Indeed, during our 1:1’s, several people expressed that it was the opportunity to continue working with and learning from these leaders that encouraged them to join m3ter. 

Keen to balance this expertise with innovative, fresh perspectives, m3ter’s ideal hire is a great person on a trajectory who will grow with m3ter. They will make m3ter, and m3ter will make them. This strategy makes for a dynamic, positive environment, characterised by a hunger to learn and make an impact. 

Sense of purpose

The team is unified in their sense of purpose. Although quick to acknowledge they are not curing cancer, they are motivated by m3ter’s “North Star”: using software to solve customer’s UBP pain points, achieving the creation of a new category, and becoming the market leader in this category. 

For our engineers, the chance to work on exciting technology, learn from talented individuals, and have a direct impact on solving an interesting business problem is what gets them out of bed in the morning. For our product team, it’s m3ter’s absolute focus on customer success and the meaningful change that the product will have on their businesses. 

It’s been so refreshing to see everything I initially observed continue to play out over the last month. The consistency of these principles in action has provided great encouragement and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. 

If the above sounds appealing, check out our open roles on LinkedIn. Alternatively, reach out directly to people@m3ter.com to learn more!