Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

Options are gravy - I lived through the first dot com era where we used stock options as a recruiting tool. We set our sites on our IPO price and then worked back to our current valuation and showed potential employees what we thought they could earn (with all legal caveats) if the company was successful.

Stock Options 294

Stock Options Stock Valuation Liquidation Preference 294

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

Many employees forget that there isn’t even a market for stock, until after the company has gone public, which hasn’t happened positively to many companies in the last few years. Thus, stock doesn’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. Thus, stock doesn’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Stock Options 230

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 230

Up and Running

DECEMBER 1, 2015

If you’re thinking about extending equity to an employee or a vendor (as in the example above), you should know that the topic is multi-faceted. If however you are giving a “normal employee” an incentive stock option plan (more on that later), that’s entirely different. Finding great employees first.

Equity 60

Equity Employee Stock Options Vesting 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2022

Many employees forget that there isn’t even a market for startup stock, until after the company has gone public, which hasn’t happened positively to many companies in the last few years. Thus, options don’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Stock Options 343

Stock Options Advisory Board Stock Startup 343

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2015

Many employees forget that there isn’t even a market for startup stock, until after the company has gone public, which hasn’t happened positively to many companies in the last few years. Thus, options don’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. business entrepreneur shares startup stock options' Marty Zwilling.

Stock Options 120

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

.” He explains: Either the founders failed to achieve their goal, or – far likelier – they failed to dream big enough. The proper ambition for a tech entrepreneur should be to join the ranks of the great tech companies, or, at least, to create a profitable, independent company beloved by employees, customers, and shareholders.

Acquisition 120

Acquisition Technical Review Stock Options Employee 120

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

He has grown our US operations from 1 employee (him) to a global organization of 75 employees that will finish the year with 8-digit revenues (90+% recurring) and more than 350% year-over-year growth. It consists of a highly intelligent and opinionated founder – Nick Halstead. Wallflower – yours truly.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

Berkonomics

NOVEMBER 1, 2018

Formal option plans for some. Some companies, especially those financed by angel or VC investors, have good, formal stock option plans with properly priced options set to reward all employees and managers in the event of a corporate sale. And a lack of plans for others. Consider the kinds of exits.

Stock Options 192

Stock Options Stock Distribution Programming 192

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

Many employees forget that there isn’t even a market for startup stock, until after the company has gone public, which hasn’t happened positively to many companies in the last few years. Thus, options don’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Equity 237

Equity Stock Options Advisory Board Stock 237

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 2, 2015

Clearly the founders and senior executives of a company are the most valuable resources and their time should be maximized on the most valuable tasks. I watched Ophir Tanz achieve much in his early days at the Founder & CEO at GumGum, which has now become quite a large business. And it turns out that employee reviews matter.

Operations 150

Operations Metrics Early Stage Non-Compete 150

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 19, 2013

Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup Founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. Should you start a company solo or find co-Founders to help you? The co-Founder relationship dilemma.

Founder 245

Founder Hockey Stick Cofounder Liquidity Event 245

The Startup Magazine

JUNE 1, 2023

By Daniel Sokolovksy, Co-Founder and CEO, WARP and Troy Lester, Co-Founder and CRO, WARP The dissolution of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was more than just a bank collapse, it was a reality check for both startups and the VCs that fund them. As a founder, ask yourself – does your business actually warrant VC funding?

Early Stage 110

Early Stage Los Angeles Silicon Valley Cofounder 110

YoungUpstarts

JULY 17, 2020

by Juan Pablo Segura, President and Co-Founder of Babyscripts. Are you paying money for SaaS services that are no longer relevant or can be taken on by employees? Support Your Employees. Often you are asking your employees to do more for less, and it’s imperative that they feel valued and supported.

Startup 287

Startup Wisconsin Stock Options Dividend 287

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 10, 2019

Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup founders quandaries in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. Should you start a company solo or find co-founders to help you? The co-founder relationship dilemma.

Hockey Stick 243

Hockey Stick Cofounder Liquidity Event Startup 243

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 21, 2017

Many employees forget that there isn’t even a market for startup stock, until after the company has gone public, which hasn’t happened positively to many companies in the last few years. Thus, options don’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. Advisory Board Member, 1% Senior Engineer,3 -.7% 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Stock 140

Stock Stock Options Advisory Board Startup 140

The Next Web

AUGUST 12, 2013

Editor’s note: This is a guest post by Christian Reber, CEO and co-founder of Berlin-based 6Wunderkinder. Define how you want to motivate your employees every day to produce high-quality and industry-leading results. Many founders don’t deal well with people leaving, but I am probably one of the worst.

Cofounder 119

Cofounder CTO Hire Startup Europe 119

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 28, 2009

Our sales forecasts were revised downward – many times. And I made a version of this company-wide speech to our employees: “Look. Reach out to the founders, not the staff. Don’t overset expectations for your employees on the way in. We do hand out stock options. I figured it out.

PR 331

PR Software Review Ireland Germany 331

YoungUpstarts

OCTOBER 24, 2017

Before you even get the business off the ground, it’s important to ensure that you and the co-founders (if any) agree on everything. Every startup should have a written founder agreement, which should include the following points: The roles and responsibilities of each member. How the sale of the company is decided.

LLC 168

LLC Startup Stock Options Cofounder 168

Both Sides of the Table

FEBRUARY 23, 2015

For some aspiring to be tech entrepreneurs, I often suggest a two-step process, as I argued in this post that “ The First Startup Founder You Need to Invest in Is You.” The narrative of this discussion is something like this: I meet a 35-40-year-old founder with two kids and mortgage. It will likely IPO in the coming years.

Technical Review 150

Technical Review Liquidation Preference Silicon Valley IP 150

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 14, 2014

Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup Founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. Should you start a company solo or find co-Founders to help you? The co-Founder relationship dilemma.

Hockey Stick 268

Hockey Stick Cofounder Entrepreneur Liquidity Event 268

Berkonomics

JANUARY 7, 2021

Email readers, continue here…] Often, if not co-founders, this group is rewarded through issuance of stock options from a pool of available options that usually totals 15-20% of the total company’s equity divided among all employees. Dividing equity among those that fill the management gap.

Liquidity Event 96

Liquidity Event Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder Initial Public Offering 96

Gust

APRIL 9, 2014

The Founder of a company starts by owning all the shares representing ownership of the company. Over time, other people receive pieces of equity in exchange for work (employee stock options), money (seed, angel and venture investors), services (attorneys, directors, etc.). original post can be found on Quora @ [link] *.

Dilution 150

Dilution Equity Vesting Stock Options 150

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 19, 2017

Most entrepreneurs struggle with many startup founders dilemmas in building their business, and these key dilemmas are probably the biggest source of pain and failure for the entrepreneur lifestyle. Should you start a company solo or find co-founders to help you? The co-founder relationship dilemma.

Hockey Stick 144

Hockey Stick Cofounder Entrepreneur Liquidity Event 144

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 13, 2015

The truth is, you have no clue what your sales will be, and I fantasize about the day an entrepreneur tells me, "Our projection is a number we''re picking out of the air. Key employees will join us as soon as we get funded." Your projection is conservative, but you claim you''ll be doing $100 million by year three.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur San Jose Technical Review China 60

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 24, 2011

Many employees forget that there isn’t even a market for stock, until after the company has gone public, which hasn’t happened to many companies in the last few years. Thus, stock doesn’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. Thus, stock doesn’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Equity 234

Equity Advisory Board Stock Options Stock 234

Feld Thoughts

AUGUST 20, 2012

I read a few articles over the weekend about OnLive potentially going out of business, potentially screwing its employees, and a few other things. It’s painful and sucks when you are part of a company that fails (I know from experience – I’ve been there many times) – whether you are a founder, employee, or investor.

Recapitalization 136

Recapitalization Stock Options Vesting Equity 136

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 26, 2018

Public ownerships usually lends prestige and credibility to your sales, marketing, and acquisition efforts, but it may work counter to your vision of saving the world. Most startup founders voluntarily exit or are pushed out, and the fun is gone. Analysts want escalating profits. Public companies bring new expectations of benefits.

Exit Strategy 128

Exit Strategy IPO Initial Public Offering SEC 128

Gust

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

This discussion expands on my Quora answer to a specific question: “ Why were the stock options of MySpace employees worthless even though the company was sold to News Corporation for hundreds of millions? ” The complete story includes a startup-within-a-startup, investments and exits by two VC firms, and some genuine corporate drama.

Valuation 98

Valuation Pre-Money Valuation Merger Vesting 98

www.startupnorth.ca

OCTOBER 23, 2010

Home Events Contact Jobs StartupIndex Founders versus early employees by David Crow on September 10th, 2009 in Resources Not everyone can be a founder. We talk about the founders of startups and companies. We focus on the founders. The founders get press coverage. How do you compensate early employees?

Employee 41

Employee Founder Salary Equity 41

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 20, 2010

Many employees forget that there isn’t even a market for stock, until after the company has gone public, which hasn’t happened to many companies in the last few years. Thus, stock doesn’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. Thus, stock doesn’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Stock 144

Stock Stock Options Advisory Board Startup 144

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 6, 2014

Public ownerships usually lends prestige and credibility to your sales, marketing, and acquisition efforts, but it may work counter to your vision of saving the world. Most startup founders voluntarily exit or are pushed out, and the fun is gone. Analysts want escalating profits. Public companies bring new expectations of benefits.

IPO 236

IPO Initial Public Offering Startup Small Business Administration 236

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

Sales & Marketing | Wednesdays. Employee Benefits. SALES & MARKETING. Back in 1997, Randy Parker was staring at a blank whiteboard, wondering where hed find the money to hire the employees and consultants he needed to build his new product. "We The Goods: Your Business Toolbox | Thursdays. Finance | Tuesdays. Newsletters.

Fractional CTO 40

Fractional CTO Equity Iowa Technical Cofounder 40

Early Growth Financial Services

AUGUST 20, 2015

Employees who feel vested and part of the team are more committed to their companies. Equity plays a key role in aligning incentives, clarifying expectations, and deliverables between companies and employees. Stock options: give users the right to purchase sales in the future at a price specified on the date of the option grant.

Equity 28

Equity Founder Stock Options Vesting 28

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 7, 2016

Public ownerships usually lends prestige and credibility to your sales, marketing, and acquisition efforts, but it may work counter to your vision of saving the world. Most startup founders voluntarily exit or are pushed out, and the fun is gone. Analysts want escalating profits. Public companies bring new expectations of benefits.

IPO 120

IPO Initial Public Offering SEC Stock Options 120

Gust

DECEMBER 8, 2011

Likewise, founders can benefit from understanding basic characteristics of the overall legal structure, formation and governance documents, rights and responsibilities of team members, etc. Determine who will serve on the Board of Directors and in executive officer positions (usually founders). Offer letters for employees.

Intellectual Property 139

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Delaware Stock 139

Gust

JULY 23, 2012

However, for investors and founders, it may be helpful to think outside the box when it comes to giving. Many non-profit organizations, being primarily mission-focused, are not well equipped to handle this type of contribution and thus might require the donor to liquidate the stock first.

Stock 114

Stock Capital Gains Warrant Stock Options 114

Berkonomics

JUNE 12, 2014

Often, if not co-founders, this group is rewarded through issuance of stock options from a pool of available options that usually totals 15-20% of the total company’s equity divided among all employees. The third group is made of the total number and types of investors, other than the founder(s).

Liquidity Event 85

Liquidity Event Pre-Money Valuation Cofounder Initial Public Offering 85