“We are a ‘roll up your sleeves and get it done’ kind of organization.” – How (and why) to get a job at Launchpad

You know the expression pick yourself up by the bootstraps? Well, the folks at Launchpad lived it. The company — a platform and service that helps clients deploy tailored, cloud-hosted integrations between various apps and workflows — was bootstrapped from a meager $500 into a $10-million-in-annual-sales-revenue-strong powerhouse. But, increases in sales are just the tip of the iceberg. “Launchpad is targeting to hire an additional 40 team members by the end of the year, which would bring its headcount to over 100,” Vancouver Tech Journal contributor Isabelle Kirkwood reported in May.

It all makes Launchpad seem like a natural fit for our How to get a job series. So, we turned to Launchpad’s director of communications (and regular Vancouver Tech Journal event attendee) Megan Hollstedt to find out. Here are the highlights from our conversation.

This interview was condensed and lightly edited for clarity.

James Matthews: What is your professional background and how did it lead you to your current role at Launchpad?

Megan Hollstedt: I am a branding and communications leader with over 15 years of experience working in the tech space. So, over my career, I have built holistic branding strategies from the ground up. I've routinely led double-digit teams, and, most recently here at Launchpad, I increased our organic year-over-year brand impressions by over 100 percent. All this is to say I knew that Launchpad was looking for builders and that's what I do best. Bruce Qi, our fearless founder, and I used to work together at a company called Active Network. Bruce reached out to me in 2020 and approached me with an opportunity to join Launchpad. And, here I am.

JM: Your title is director of communications. Can you unpack what that means?

MH: It's funny to say, but I find as the director of communications, I wear many hats. So, that's everything from communications to brand design, marketing, social media, and even founder-wrangler and snack-fridge-refiller. We are a roll up your sleeves and get it done kind of organization — and I'm here for it. But what it really comes down to, for my role, is ensuring that the story of Launchpad is out there. So — big time, James — we want to ensure that we are the first company that our future clients think of when they want to streamline and automate their software and workflows.

JM: Okay, you lost me at “snacks.” What are the go-tos?

MH: Oh, well, Costco for the win. There's a protein bar from there that we are big on and we love chocolate. We are all about efficiency: my team just built out a full workflow and playbook on how to get snacks, beer, and non-alcoholic beverages into the office. And, we love supporting our local brewers. Gotta get those craft brews in the fridge.

JM: How would I go about applying so I can eat those snacks er… join the team?

MH: It’s super easy. We have over 20 roles open and available to apply for on our website right now. Going through our careers page is the best way to see those. We also keep all of our current roles up to date on LinkedIn. So, I'd encourage anyone interested in Launchpad to reach out and connect with us there. That way, you can also get a sense of what we're up to as a company. We'd love to hear your story.

JM: Does the team predominantly work remotely or in person?

MH: So, we promote ourselves as a 100 percent remote-based organization. But, sometimes you can't beat the learning opportunities of being in person with our team members. We have opportunities for that, too.

JM: Macs or PCs? What about other workplace tools?

MH: We are a PC shop. Now, it's really all about what the team, business, and organizational needs are. We aren't a rigid organization. If there's a tool or piece of tech that you need to get the job done, we have a system in place to evaluate that and bring it in. But, we are a PC shop.

We are also very much a Google shop. We use Slack, Basecamp, and a lot of other tools that help us with efficiency. As a business application integration provider, we very much understand the value of an efficient and well-integrated tech stack.

JM: Is the leadership team mindful of facets of work like vacation, pay, and growth?

MH: So, we've got “four c's” that we follow: culture, compensation, career, and connection. So we really do the work at a leadership level to ensure that we're keeping up with the standards of benefit expectations to attract that talent that we're looking for.

JM: How are work hours managed?

MH: We believe in getting the work done. We're not a rigid nine-to-five company. That being said, we do have core work hours when we are generally available to our clients: 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Pacific. We do have to be online during those hours to serve our clients.

There's one other thing there too that I want to highlight. We really prioritize the health and wellbeing of our employees. That's always been of the utmost importance at Launchpad. Very recently, we introduced a right-to-disconnect policy for the end of the day. We're really proud of that.

JM: Any last words?

MH: I would just say that here at Launchpad, we genuinely care about our people as individuals. So, if you are looking for a place that values growth, drive, passion for your craft, and if you're seeking that place to go after your goals and dreams with fairness and integrity, I really encourage you to apply to work for us.

JM: Love that. Thanks for chatting! MH: If we were in the office, I’d be cracking a cold one for you!