Dachis Group Reviews

Current Employee – been working at Dachis Group full-time for less than a year

Pros – Incredibly SMART people with equally incredible personalities. Each day you learn something new and have every opportunity to propel your career forward.The organization is in constant forward motion.Tremendous upside for those who are able and willing to grow with the organization.

Cons – There has been a lot of change as we have evolved to where we are today. With change comes pain.

Advice to Senior Management – Continue to share information with us, both good and bad, and allow us to participate in the process to move the organization forward.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Dachis Group full-time for more than a year

Pros – Great team to work with. My coworkers are some of the smartest people I've ever worked with and truly love what they do.

Company culture in Austin is top-notch with plenty of perks, including free meals on various days of the week, a well-stocked kitchen, wine Fridays, cell phone and gym reimbursements, etc. They even sent the entire company to Vegas to meet and collaborate with employees from other offices--not once but twice!

As part of the development organization we are constantly working with cutting edge technologies. Both the company and organization are free of any ridiculous bureaucracy that often hinders the evolution of a software product.

Overall senior leadership is doing a great job. They have an aligned vision and continue to move the company forward with some great product releases.

Cons – The workload is often intense, especially when preparing to launch a new product or feature, but in reality this is no different than any other company I've worked for. Be prepared to work some late nights and weekends to meet deadlines. On the plus side you won't feel like you're carrying the burden by yourself--team members are top notch and will be right along side you pulling their weight.

As the company matures and expands, processes are beginning to evolve and improve from a start-up level of chaos to more structure and discipline. This is a very welcome change and has allowed us to focus on real problems rather than being overwhelmed by the workload.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Dachis Group full-time for more than a year

Pros – Worked with some of the greatest, smartest people ever there. It is inspiring to work with people who eat, breathe and love what they do.

Cons – Company was having an identity crisis and growing too quickly. It was a bit hard to keep up with as an employee.

Advice to Senior Management – Thinking through growth, office space, and acquisitions before it's too late creates a more stable environment for your employees.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Dachis Group full-time for more than a year

Pros – The people are the best part of working at Dachis Group. There are a lot of great people there. The work is a good introduction to digital marketing if you're just starting out in your career.

If you're interested in selling SaaS, this is the place for you. Dachis Group is making a strategic shift to becoming a SaaS company and is putting everything the company has behind sales of its new analytics software.

Cons – The company is going through some very challenging times. Quarter after quarter, they continue to lose money. Offices are closing and staff are being laid off.

The company is venture capital funded and was created through the acquisition of may smaller digital marketing agencies. While morale at the Austin, TX corporate office remains high, there is rampant disappointment and bitterness at all of the remote offices. The remote locations lost their former company names and culture in the process of being acquired by Dachis Group. Most of the staff are bitter about the changes. The constant reductions in staff (or threat of layoffs) and continuing loss of clients only makes things worse.

As Dachis Group has lost most of its larger clients, the remaining work is with tier 2 or tier 3 companies. The company is also making a strategic shift away from services and is instead focusing on its suite of analytics software. As a result, the sales team is receiving incentives for bringing in new software subscriptions rather than landing any traditional digital marketing services work.

Advice to Senior Management – Instead of focusing on a quick IPO, take time to restore the health of the company. SaaS might be the future direction, but cutting back on services has only hurt the company's financials in the short term. You have some good talent still with the company. Work on improving morale and retain the great people you still have. It isn't too late to save this sinking ship.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Dachis Group full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – I came on board Dachis Group several years ago through an acquisition. It's been really terrific in terms of the work, the travel, the top-tier clients, and career benefits. There's plenty of opportunity for self-starters and up-and-comers in a brand new yet high profile industry. Be warned, however, that those who don't like to work hard or are afraid of change need not apply.

The company has come a long way since the early days in terms of benefits, both formal and informal (including good health care and 401k plans, as well as a physical fitness-oriented culture.) There's a laid back work environment, despite the rapid growth of the last few years, at least when it comes to the office atmosphere. The many acquisitions over the last couple of years have made sure there's a wide mix of personalities and skills, though keeping up with everything and everybody can be pretty challenging at times.

The Austin office is certainly the biggest and the center of the universe, and probably has the best amenities. In terms of company direction, the firm continues to have a focus on both consulting/agency work as well as the company's newer software products. If you're a developer or a management consultant, or just a creative type, I'm pleased to say there's room for everyone.

We have really friendly natives too, probably the nicest and most interesting group of people at a startup I've seen in a long while. But perhaps most of all, having a real impact at well-known clients and helping create a new industry go at the top of the list.

Cons – The company has had to adapt to both shifts in the market as well as a rapid pace of growth, and this has led to a lot of change in the last few years. Not everyone is happy with that, but that's just the reality for just about any startup. I'd say the company is as well-organized as its ever been at the moment, but there's little doubt that employees do have to pay close attention to stay aligned with the corporate direction, though there are certainly opportunities to help drive direction as well.

Lots of travel and late nights can take their toll too. At least if you're on the delivery side of the organization, though that's now been offset with a smart vacation plan that lets you take pretty much as much time as you need off to recover, no questions asked.

Advice to Senior Management – Spend more time with the folks on the ground. Be alert the many employees think that overly positive messages from management are seen as spin.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Dachis Group full-time for more than a year

Pros – Learned a great deal about agency dynamics, sales cycles, working with teams in high stress situations, discerning lip service from truth, etc.

Cons – Upon acquisition of the company I worked for, it sounded as though we would have access to international travel, flexible roles, clear career pathways, food perks, etc. These things became less of a priority to the company when management struggled to organize a sales strategy, consolidate the company offering, and integrate multiple offices under one umbrella.

My guess is that investors wanted to hedge their bets by selling services and a product simultaneously. The services came from the acquisition of many smaller companies that were difficult to combine, both financially and operationally. The product was still in its early days and wasn't ready for the public. When the executive team failed to create a viable service offering after 2 years, and several large accounts were lost, the service side of the business was butchered and focus was pu completely on the product.

None of this was necessarily bad. Companies go through these transitions. It's business. But lack of transparency, contrived meetings about "company values", top down management style, constant role shuffling and the like made the 2 years a roller coaster.

Advice to Senior Management – Slow down, focus, and treat people right

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Dachis Group full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – I've learned a great deal and been challenged with some great projects. The other developers are generous with their help and I try to do the same.

Cons – Gossip driven; US centric; not always organized.

Advice to Senior Management – No spin

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Dachis Group full-time for more than a year

Pros – As the other review mentions, Dachis Group employed some of the smartest and best talent. It is the only company in which I've cared to stay in contact with so many of my ex-colleagues. Each office had its own unique culture and personality, which was really nice. However, it must be noted that this had nothing to do with management. Upper management was a complete failure (and many either resigned or have been let go). The people doing the hard work were the success of the company (and still are).

Cons – Due to the company failing to sustain client relationships, failing to price services properly, failing to understand the market and many other problems, there have been lay offs and "re -orgs" almost every month for the past year. The company lacks creative leadership, which has hurt them tremendously in pitches. Switching to be a more technology-oriented company is their solution to IPO in the next 18 months.
The company acted like they cared so much about employee morale, but it's become pretty evident to the MANY laid off and those remaining that culture was just a word to lure the talent into the doors.

Advice to Senior Management – There is no management to offer advice to anymore. The few that remain already know it's a sinking ship.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company