Life @ m3ter - early reflections

I’ve often been asked why, during a global pandemic, I chose to leave a comfortable job I greatly enjoyed. What was it that fuelled me to become part of the Great Resignation?

The pandemic caused many of us to reflect on what is most important. For me, it became clear that, after loved ones, what matters most is the chance to make a positive impact, continue growing, and interact each day with people who inspire, challenge, and support each other. 

Enter m3ter 

From the moment I interacted with m3ter, there were indications that this was a company on a journey to create something special. 

m3ter is a metering and pricing engine that, through an innovative data infrastructure, makes it easy for SaaS companies to intelligently deploy and manage usage-based pricing.

The company was founded by Griffin Parry and John Griffin (yes, that’s two ‘Griffins’), a duo who previously started and sold a backend-as-a-service business to Amazon. John is driven by a desire to build a world-leading product that has an impact. Griff’s chief motivation is to build a company that he is proud of. Both drivers are integral to any successful business. Who wouldn’t want to make an impact and work for a company they are proud of? 

Humble & honest leadership

The leadership of an organisation is a big determinant of one’s experience. What appealed about both John and Griff was that, despite decades of experience, they are humble and low-key. They emphasised they do not have all the answers, their aspirations are for the team to collectively try new things. They believe in the ‘hive mind’ – that the answers come from the group.

Building a culture of positivity, growth and high performance

Perhaps what was most attractive was the intentional articulation of the aspirations for m3ter’s culture. 

Key points included:

• Agency: delivered through encouraging independent decision-making and a belief that people should mostly operate in small-semi autonomous teams.
• Candour: a culture where everyone feels safe speaking up and sharing opinions. 
• Integrity: no matter how difficult the situation, doing the right thing matters. 

What was so compelling was that much of this played out in practice before even joining the company. 

I saw candour in action after experiencing the familiar imposter syndrome that so often accompanies moments of change, especially in women. I wondered whether I was qualified to work in the software space. For the first time, I decided to be 100% myself and honest about my concerns. Part of this was driven by my post-pandemic goals, but I wouldn’t have had the courage if it didn’t feel safe to do so based on everything I’d seen from m3ter to date. What followed were several conversations with members of the leadership team, all of whom took the time to listen and alleviate my concerns. That was an empowering moment and went a long way in building foundational trust in who they were as individuals and as a company. 

Arrival @ m3ter 

Almost one month in, I’m happy to report that my experience thus far has only built on those early foundations. I’ve seen and experienced first-hand all the elements articulated from the outset:

• A friendly, supportive, talented team
• Trust & transparency
• Focus on agency & ownership
• Opportunities to learn and grow from day 1
• A clear sense of purpose 

In my next piece, to be published shortly, I’ll delve into what each one of these looks like in practice, in day-to-day life at m3ter.

Looking Forward

It’s an exciting time for m3ter as we launch out of stealth. We have raised $17.5M in seed funding from Tier 1 VCs and have shipped a launch product that delights a cohort of launch customers. Our plan is to aggressively drive market traction and emerge as the leader of an exciting new category. 

We are growing rapidly. To support this, my focus is on building an empowering, inclusive, vibrant environment that enables us to attract, hire, and retain talent – decent people who have the requisite skills and believe in what we are trying to achieve. We need to ensure we have programs in place that help the team reach their full potential and keep existing members engaged.

Diversity will be a key part of our strategy. In order to succeed, it is imperative that we listen to, and learn from, the widest talent pool possible, who provide a breadth of perspectives and experiences. My previous role was at a social enterprise focused on improving social mobility and D&I in the workplace, and I hope to leverage much of what I was exposed to there to help with our efforts. 

Maximising the employee experience in a remote-first business is also a priority. It’s great to see other businesses jumping on the bandwagon and taking heed of the many benefits – from flexibility and freedom, to enabling diversity through engaging those disadvantaged by geography. Participating in working groups and keeping on top of best practice will be an ongoing endeavour to help us optimise the benefits and mitigate any downsides. 

It’s still early days, but I’m very excited by what I’ve seen, and what is to come. I can’t wait to meet the team in-person at our m33tup in March. These are quarterly, all-inclusive ‘hub’ weeks for the entire company, hosted in a fun location. The next is in Lisbon, which is high on my bucket list!

My hope is that we can continue to create something special - an environment where people are proud to work and where everyone feels comfortable being themselves - and deliver a product that makes a positive impact. If we fulfil this aspiration, working at m3ter will have enabled me to do the things that matter most every day. 

If you’re someone who thrives on autonomy and responsibility, is excited by our mission, and wants to contribute to building the future with a talented and supportive team who don’t take themselves too seriously, I’d encourage you to check us out and reach out to people@m3ter.com to learn more.