Blog: Jungle Scout is Hiring: A One-in-a-Million Chance Doesn't Come Twice in a Lifetime

Jungle Scout is Hiring: A One-in-a-Million Chance Doesn't Come Twice in a Lifetime

Published on 2018-02-16

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Jungle Scout is Hiring

We’re looking for 16+ people in various roles, both remote and at one of our two offices in Canada or the US. If you’re interested, go ahead and check out the opportunities that are available. And if you’d like to learn why I love working for Jungle Scout, keep on reading.

One Night in Bangkok

I’m tired.

Exhausted.

No surprise, really. Yesterday I was running through a street market in Bangkok trying to outrun Becky Frost in a race to find a carrot. Yes, a carrot. And she runs pretty darn fast, too (by the way, this would be the first of many battles that Frosty and I would get into this week).

In fact, there were a few of us from Jungle Scout running to find this elusive carrot. Shane Stinemetz, the Vice President of Operations. Patryk Wójcik, one of our customer success specialists. Kaia Olson, a full stack developer. Most of us were dropped off by a tuck-tuck driver with little to no direction or clues. This made the scavenger hunt pretty tough. Eventually, we figured out where the carrot was and moved on to the next challenge in the race.

And that was just day one of Jungle Camp Thailand.

Needless to say, this trip is AWESOME.

So, how did I, a goofy writer from Richmond, Virginia, get here?

. . .

Looking for a J-O-B

About two months ago, on a lark, I decided to check out remote work job opportunities. Of course, I’ve been a work-from-home entrepreneur for the last three years and my businesses have done very well–especially my Amazon business–so I didn’t necessarily need a job. However, one of the perks of Amazon selling is that once it’s running, it’s a very “four hour workweek” lifestyle. So I had a ton of bandwidth. And there’s only so many books I can read in a year!

There was only one place that I wanted to work: Jungle Scout.

I was very familiar with Jungle Scout as I’d used the Chrome Extension since 2015. From what I’d seen in pictures, it looked like a pretty cool place to work.

Sure, why not?

I slipped over to the careers page and looked through the available positions. And what do you know: they were looking for someone to do content about Amazon selling! From there, I applied for the job by creating my own landing page and video.

Fingers crossed, I waited.

. . .

Father Gen, Infamous Kym, Captain Shane, and The Greg

A week later I get an email from a guy named Gen Furukawa. You probably know him from his blog posts. He is the Vice President of Marketing for Jungle Scout. Gen saw my video and wanted to meet me! The next day I interviewed with Gen via Zoom.

Note: don’t ever play poker with Gen. He’s very good at keeping a stone face during an interview.

After talking to Father Gen (I’d later learn that’s his nickname), I had no idea what to expect. However, he did schedule another interview between myself and the infamous million dollar series Kym Ellis later that evening (at the time, Kym was in Bali, so it was morning for her). After talking to Kym (and getting her thumbs up), I met with Shane Stinemetz. If Gen is a master at hiding his intentions, Shane, the Vice President of Operations is the opposite–he was pretty open about wanting me on the team and it was a lot of fun talking to him; we read a lot of the same books!

Of course, there was one more important meeting I had to have: The Greg.

Greg Mercer, CEO of Jungle Scout

Greg Mercer, like Gen, was also very serious and had a great poker face. After all, he’s the CEO. He’s the one making the big decisions. And despite being the captain of a very big company, he’s still very hands-on.

I already knew Greg from Amazon circles, of course. I’d seen his videos and read his blog posts. I’m not afraid to admit that I had a little bit of celebrity awe.

My conversation with Greg via video conference went for about 50 minutes. I felt confident that it was a success, but still didn’t have any idea if I got the gig or not.

It’s kinda funny. Originally, I walked into the entire interview process thinking I held all the cards. But as I met each person and learned more about the company, my attitude shifted from “I guess this is a place that I could work” to “THIS IS DEFINITELY A PLACE I MUST WORK.”

. . .

A Little History of Jungle Scout

Jungle Scout’s been around since February 13, 2015. Greg Mercer, already a successful Amazon seller, recognized that all FBA sellers were doing product research using the same, pain-in-the-butt process. Essentially, you’d create a spreadsheet and determine sales estimates manually. Finding a product would sometime take hours or days.

“There has to be a better way,” he said. So that’s what Greg did. He found a better way. First, he created the game changing Chrome Extension. Six months later, he and a team from Vancouver built the web application. Jump Send and Splitly came soon after, and just last year Fetcher. As of this writing, there’s more–TOP SECRET–applications on the way.

Three years later, Jungle Scout has helped millions of aspiring entrepreneurs and Amazon sellers realize their dreams.

Of course, Jungle Scout is more than just a product. It’s a global culture, too.

. . .

The Global Gang

What do Vancouver, Austin, Bali, Johannesburg, Bela Horizonte, and Chiang Mai all have in common?

If you’re not sure, I’ll go ahead and tell you: these are just a few of the cities in the world where Jungle Scout’s 55 employees and counting work from.

The Jungle Scout team works all over the world.

While many of us work out of one of our two offices in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada or Austin, Texas, USA, more than half of our employees work remotely all over the world.

When Greg started the company, he wanted it to be a business like the one he read about in Jason Fried’s bestseller Rework. There weren’t going to be stuffy meetings and corporate memos and droning middle managers. Instead, it was going to be an experience unlike any other.

If a Jungle Scout employee wanted to live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, they could (that’s where Lenny lives!)

If a Jungle Scout employee wanted to work out of the office in Vancouver side by side with all the developers, they could do that, too.

And there’d still be all the features of a highly productive business, as well, from competitive salaries and benefits, to a clear operational structure. But at the end of the day, everyone has a say in how the company moves forward. It doesn’t matter if you’re the CEO or a part-time customer success rep, your voice matters in Jungle Scout.

Of course, Jungle Scout isn’t just a great job; it’s a huge opportunity.

. . .

Graffiti Worth $200 Million

Facebook’s Sean Parker (the dude that Justin Timberlake played in the movie The Social Network) convinced a local artist named David Choe to create a mural in Facebook’s first office. Choe, a forward-thinker if there ever was one, decided to take stock options instead of payment. Later, when Facebook IPO’d a few years later, those options were worth $200 million. Not bad for spray-painting a wall for a few hours, eh?

David Choe made $200 million by taking stock options for his artwork with Facebook

Have you ever wondered what it’d be like to get in on Facebook at the ground floor like David Chloe? What if you could have been the 10th person to work at Google? Or imagine having the opportunity to work side-by-side with Steve Jobs right at the beginning of Apple.

That’s what it’s like working for Jungle Scout.

Check out these nutso statistics:

  • Since 2015, Jungle Scout has grown from just Greg and Elizabeth Mercer to a team of 55 employees.
  • Jungle Scout and its suite of seller applications owns 70% of the seller tools market.
  • Thanks to our trademark Accusales™ technology, we offer the most precise product research statistics in the entire world.
  • We have a very close relationship with Amazon and communicate directly with many within the company.
  • Additionally, we have employees who previously worked at Amazon, so we understand how they operate behind-the-scenes.
  • Despite our suite products already covering most of the stages of the FBA selling process, we plan on expanding it even further with new applications, tools, and features coming out soon.
  • Some of the biggest names in the business, including Scott Voelker, Tanner J Fox, and even the Rich Dad Poor Dad himself, Robert Kiyosaki, use and promote our products.

There’s no telling what the future holds, whether this is a company that will go the public route like Facebook, Google, or Apple, or just do its own thing. But it sure doesn’t hurt to be there at the beginning.

. . .

An Awesome Place to Work

Obviously, the company is strong. But the perks are amazing:

  • We offer competitive salary and full benefits.
  • For most open positions, you can work from anywhere in the world.
  • Twice per year, the team meets up in cool locations around the world for Jungle Camp, an opportunity to meet all the cool people you work with and have fun, talk strategies, and work as a team.
  • Because we’re growing so fast, the opportunities for advancement are massive.
  • And remember: this is one of the fast growing tech companies on the internet and is hardly showing any sign of slowing down.

. . .

Changing the World

But that’s not all. Jungle Scout isn’t just interested in growing the company and putting on retreats for the employees. It’s a company that wants to change the world and do a lot of good.

Here’s a few of the altruistic programs Jungle Scout takes part in:

  • Over $50,000 donated to Doctors Without Borders.
  • A Jungle Scout scholarship program, helping future entrepreneurs conquer the world.
  • Pencils of Promise, working to build schools in developing economies.
  • Veterans program; discounts for current and retired members of the armed forces.

We’re all about giving back and as we grow, our efforts to improve the world will grow with it.

. . .

The Suspense Was Killing Me

Two days passed after my meeting with Greg. I’d emailed Gen following up, but hadn’t heard anything.

I was a wreck! I’d bitten my fingernails down to nubs. I had trouble sleeping. My stomach was doing somersaults.

I just had to work at Jungle Scout.

And then I get an email from Gen.

Oh God. What’s he going to say? Is he going to tell me that I didn’t have enough experience? That maybe I was too nervous at my interview or didn’t ask enough good questions?

Maybe Greg just thought I was funny looking?

“Hi Dave,” the email started.

My hands were shaking. Leg bouncing. Oh man oh man oh man…

“We have really exciting new to share with you—we are thrilled to extend an offer to you to join the Jungle Scout team full time!”

I did it. I got the job. First job in three years that I wanted. Not just wanted, was obsessed over.

. . .

Don’t Just Take My Word for It…

It’s been about a month and a half since I started working for Jungle Scout. You’ve probably already seen my blog posts here on the site. Already, I’ve had a blast. Not only is it fun doing my job, but I work with some of the most talented, amazing people I’ve ever met in my life.

The general consensus is that everyone loves working with everyone. Every job I’ve ever had always had at least one or two people who weren’t pleasant to be around, either because they didn’t do their job or they were negative. Not the case here. It’s truly amazing.

But don’t just take my word for it. Here’s a few of my coworkers weighing in on their own experiences as Jungle Scout employees.

Becky Frost, Content Creator (Swindon, England)

“What I LOVE about this company is the people. I have worked in offices with the same people, day in and out, for years and never felt the same bond as i do with you lot even though we work all around the world. I can happily ask for help and know that someone out here will be more than happy to and vice versa. Such a tight nit group over such a HUGE world.”

. . .

Kaia Olson, Full Stack Developer (Mackinac Island, Michigan)

“There’s something amazing about working with a group of high achieving and hard working people with such radically different backgrounds. My colleagues’ creativity and passion for serving the Jungle Scout community produces not only fantastic work but also an unparalleled level of inter-department collaboration and a true sense of purpose. They’re an inspiring bunch and I’m happy to call them friends and coworkers!”

. . .

Adam Zlotnic, Product Manager (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

“Never have I worked at a company that made me feel so welcome and appreciated! Within less than 30 days of working for Jungle Scout I was invited to the semi-annual Jungle Camp on the other side of the world in Bangkok which was an incredible experience. Every single person at Jungle Scout is unique, dedicated, and genuine. Couldn’t ask for a better place to work!”

. . .

Paui Rubio, Customer Success (Manilla, The Phillipines)

“I love how the whole team works together and gives back to the community. Not only that, the culture that the company has is very infectious and they make sure that employees are well taken care of. Truly a team of talented go-getters and the diversity in the team really blows me a way.

It’s not your typical company who is just after the $$! Greg and the leadership team makes sure that no one is left behind. Everybody continues to grow while the company is growing and the bi-annual meet-ups is just a huge bonus!”

. . .

Joel Popoff, Product Manager (Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

“Jungle Scout isn’t a company, it’s a family. Everyone is so incredibly supportive and will drop whatever they are doing in an instant to help another team member. Just like family does. There are so many people from different walks of life that come together to share their passion for empowering entrepreneurs. It truly is an exciting time to work for this rocket ship of a company :)”

. . .

Hilary Smith, Marketing Lead (Medellin, Colombia)

“I left my old job for Jungle Scout for the opportunity to learn. I’ve never been more challenged or encouraged in a role before. People are so open to helping you learn and really want you to succeed. Jungle Scout is a supportive team packed full of fun, funny people who bring out the best in each other.”

. . .

 

Jungle Camp Thailand

A month later, I’m sitting in a board room in a Thai hotel, writing this post. A few minutes ago, Becky Frost and I got into a meme battle on our communication channel. Greg Mercer is sitting right next to me, pulling practical jokes on one of the product managers. Later, there’s awesome presentations all day long of big changes and improvements in our software–stuff that’ll help us crush the competition and improve . Tonight, we’ll break out into teams and have dinner.

There is not a single person here that I don’t like. We’re all super obsessed with our jobs, too, because it’s not just a job.

It’s paid fun.

“Getting the chance to start a company like Jungle Scout and work with the people here is a one-in-a-million chance. And a one-in-a-million chance doesn’t happen twice in a lifetime.” – Greg Mercer

If you’re looking for a new opportunity, a chance to join a company  that will change your life, put you in front of amazing people, and pay you to have a good time, then definitely check out our careers page.

Remember… I didn’t need a job. Probably didn’t even want one. And now I can’t imagine my life without being a part of the Jungle Scout team.

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