SurfMerchants reviews

4.8

100% would recommend to a friend

(25 total reviews)

John Hsu and Tony Felos

100% approve of CEO

88% positive business outlook

SurfMerchants has an employee rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars, based on 25 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The SurfMerchants employee rating is 25% above average for employers within the Information Technology industry (3.9 stars).

Reviews by job title

25 reviews
5.0
Feb 26, 2015

One of a kind place

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Hate to keep repeating what others have said but it's really true - this is a quirky, humane, smart work environment that you'll want to stay in for a really long time. I've been here for more than 5 years and I can't believe how fast it's gone. There's also been quite a few people who left and quickly came back once they realized what they'd taken for granted. If you have a family or outside interests (there are lots of musicians in the company) this place really gives you the flexibility to do that stuff right. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is how this is a company that knows how to win and keep winning. They're the kings of their niche and have a rock solid business where the income is very consistent (it's a Software as a service, or SaaS company, so the money keeps coming in every month) and where the clients would find it super hard to leave for a competitor. Despite that, they never go on cruise control - they are really competitive and really determined to stay on top. For us workers, that means unbelievable job security and the fun of knowing that new stuff is being made all the time. One cool story: one employee who got fired wrote an amazing letter saying how much they appreciated the opportunity and how patient and kind the owners were and that it was a special place to work. When someone who gets FIRED says such nice stuff on their way out you can believe that it's true, right? I think it also shows that they really try to help people who aren't cutting it - they let you know where you stand and make it very clear where you need to get to and do their best to help you get there. I know some of their best people were once in trouble and really improved. I can also say that everyone I've seen fired was fired fairly and that this was really just the wrong place for them.

Cons

The pay is competitive (especially if you've established yourself as an up and comer) but not luxurious - if your top priority is raking in the dough as fast as possible, you might get more elsewhere. But in my experience you can't put a price on not dreading work every morning, knowing your job is safe and secure for as long as you want it and being able to trust that your managers are caring, logical people that will listen to reason. Working from home 50% of the time is definitely not for everybody - it probably requires more discipline than working from home 100% of the time and if you start slacking off or getting too distracted for too long there's no place to hide in this company. This much freedom can be kinda stressful in a weird way. There's are career paths here, but it's not typical or obvious like other places because it's not always based on job titles or big shifts in responsibilities. If you're ambitious and really prove yourself valuable and motivated in a needed areas your job will change (and sometime change often) and you will get ahead and you will make more. Just don't expect that management will hand you a blueprint and handhold you through the process. There are lots of opportunities here (like any small company, there's always stuff that can be done better) - you just gotta jump on them yourself.

5.0
Jul 17, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The thing I loved most about Surfmerchants was the culture of the company. The only thing that mattered was that the customers were happy. If you love serving customers, then you will enjoy it here because so long as your customers are happy, you can pretty much pick and choose what else you do. There is a lot of work, so never a dull moment. I had the opportunity to work in various jobs, each time suggesting and being allowed to move from one to the next. Flexibility that allows you to have a life. The work from home days are a huge help if you have kids or errands to work as you can schedule these on those days. If you do your job, you will be cared for, you will be appreciated and you will feel like you are making a difference. Turn over is low and most of the staff that leave, hang around as friends for a while. There is no room for slacking off. If you are not doing your job, it will be apparent very quickly and if you do not take advantage of any support offered to improve, then you will be let go. Leaders try to nip gossip in the bud by keeping an open door policy.

Cons

Flexibility to get your job done and have a life sometimes means that you could overdo one or the other. It teaches you to be a good time manager and understand where best to spend you time.

5.0
Mar 12, 2014

Great place to work

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

* Co-workers are great people - fun to be around, supportive, and willing to think creatively * Owners really care about their employees. They're very open with us about the business and willing to listen to employee concerns. They're even willing to give you advice on possibility leaving to work elsewhere. * We work from home half the time * Endless opportunities to solve problems creatively * Responsibility is doled out based on employee capabilities, not purely on who's worked here the longest * Proving yourself responsible and capable opens up more opportunities to choose the direction of your job * Underperforming employees are given many opportunities to improve and, if they don't, are fired relatively quickly

Cons

* Workload is pretty heavy. There's always more to do than can be done with the people available. * Main product is over a decade old, so it's a bit of a minefield of old code and customizations. * A lot of the work is end-client driven, which always comes with a unique set of challenges

Viewing 1 - 3 of 25 Reviews

Glassdoor has 25 SurfMerchants reviews submitted anonymously by SurfMerchants employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if SurfMerchants is right for you.