How to Succeed at Ferndesk

This isn't a big company with layers of management to hand-hold you. Your success here depends largely on you. These are the principles that will get you there.

Take Ownership

It is tempting to say you are blocked, or that you were waiting on someone else to accomplish something. But if you want to achieve anything here, you must push to get what you want.

If you are waiting on somebody, don't say "I need them before I can do something." Take control of your own progress. Take control of your own growth in the company. Nobody else will do it for you.

You're going to have to push, push, push to grow. Ask for more challenging work. Ask for more responsibility. Don't wait for someone else to hand it to you. They won't. Your growth is your job.

Over-communicate

Communication is everything.

In remote setups, this is often the biggest failure point. Thankfully, we're not remote. But even in person, default to saying more rather than less. If you're unsure whether to share something, share it. If you think someone might need to know, tell them.

My thoughts on this will evolve over time, but the principle won't: when in doubt, overcommunicate.

Be a Generalist

You are not a developer. You are not a marketer. You are an everything-er.

We are a small company, so everyone handles multiple roles (this is even true for contractors in some cases).

One day you're writing code, the next you're talking to customers, the next you're thinking through positioning. This is the reality of a small team, and it's a gift.

Being a generalist doesn't just make you more valuable to Ferndesk. It makes you more valuable to the job market. The people who can do multiple things well are rare, and they're the ones who build companies, not just work at them.