Complaint Review: Launch Leads - Salt Lake City Utah

Failure to Launch...

My intentions are not to defame this company; rather I hope to provide valuable insight on the many things I learned from my time at Launch Leads. I provide this feedback for two reasons. First- It is only fair that new prospecting employees learn about this company’s internal mechanisms prior to committing themselves to employment. Secondly- I sincerely hope this review is analyzed by the management team because there IS valuable insight and feedback that they can learn from.  

In my own analysis, this business is being run by a fantastic salesman and (at the same time) a mediocre businessman. This weakness can be easily compensated by hiring another manager with an operations strong suit. Currently the CEO’s right hand is SO incredibly backwards! Unfortunately this VP has the CEO wrapped around his manipulative little finger. Hand in hand they are “driving the company bus PISS DRUNK”. It seems that the CEO is blinded to the realities of the company and how it is being operated. I observed complete dysfunction from the second I stepped onto the call floor. 100% of the dysfunction is caused from the top down and NOT (as the CEO and VP of CC would like to believe) from the bottom up. This management team is toxic and completely destructive to the company’s mission. Quite frankly, it wouldn’t hurt the CEO to check his massive ego and unbiasedly listen from time to time.

In my own analysis, the numbers clearly don’t add up behind the scenes. They have massive fixed costs with tremendous liabilities! On top of that, their revenue streams seem to be shrinking (or at least not growing). I estimate that the company’s salaries and wage expense alone exceed net sales. To their own admission, launch is under water. Scary folks, companies that operate like this are unsustainable.

I find it so ironic that when I was hired, Don [VP of Client Care] said “Brandt [CEO] is known to bootstrap for as long as possible”. That may have been the case in the early days (and undoubtedly why Launch even lasted 4 years), but in today’s operation they are unnecessarily overspent. Launch averages 1 HIGHLY paid manager for every 2 LOWLY paid and under-incentivized actual workers. I guess they are hiring another HR manager too... No such thing as middle management here…you either make $12 an hour or you make $35+ (holy crap that is good money for the work they do). Launch needs an organizational management and company structure overhaul.

More than anything this company can’t seem to deliver on their proposed value. Companies are reluctant to commit beyond the pilot phase and into a long term contract. This company is sustained through “test-runs” that are not yielding high enough ROI for a client to commit. This could be a cause of several factors. Perhaps the price is too high? Unrealistic promises made? Unmotivated employees? Maybe even the VP of CC and his terrible interpersonal skills are frustrating clients?

Finally, if you choose Launch as an employer, there is no job security what-so-ever. The company’s retention is around 3 months. People are either quitting (for reasons above) or they are fired for something petty. I had high hopes for launch when I got hired, but it all quickly fell apart. After truly giving this company my best shot I chose to walk away. I chose to dedicate my strong suited talents elsewhere.