Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

When I was interviewed for my first startup CEO job, I was expecting a $150,000 salary, but instead was offered an opportunity to contribute $50,000 to the business, and work for equity only. Another one to avoid cash burn for software development is a contract for percent of future revenue. Great strategy.

Burn Rate 232

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 232

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month.

Burn Rate 262

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Entrepreneur Salary 262

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 17, 2011

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Overall, I believe that the demise of software entrepreneurs has been greatly exaggerated.

Intellectual Property 225

Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Non-Compete Vietnam 225

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 28, 2011

When I was interviewed for my first startup CEO job, I was expecting a $150,000 salary, but instead was offered an opportunity to contribute $50,000 to the business, and work for equity only. Another one to avoid cash burn for software development is a contract for percent of future revenue. Great strategy.

Burn Rate 231

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 231

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2016

Deferred payments start with stretching the payables period but, more importantly, include giving employee equity in lieu of a higher salaries and negotiating vendor deferred payments out of future revenues. For example, a software development startup raising $250,000 from angel investors better be able to operate on $25,000 per month.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Hockey Stick Startup Salary 120

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I have been working full time with two founders for about 10 months on full time basis. During that time one of the founders had mentioned that for the initial agreed time (3 months, equivalent dollars could be translated to 2% of equity but no agreement was reached at that time). What are the terms the founders got in the deal?

CTO 167

CTO CTO Hire Equity Vesting 167

The Next Web

FEBRUARY 1, 2014

So you have a great idea for a new mobile app or Web service—but you don’t know anything about coding or developing. You might have started searching for a tech-oriented co-founder to help you launch your idea, only to find that your startup can’t afford the ongoing salary for a skilled software developer.

Web 160

Web Silicon Valley Salary Demand 160

SoCal CTO

JANUARY 18, 2011

I have been working full time with two founders for about 10 months on full time basis. During that time one of the founders had mentioned that for the initial agreed time (3 months, equivalent dollars could be translated to 2% of equity but no agreement was reached at that time). What are the terms the founders got in the deal?

CTO 150

CTO CTO Hire Equity Vesting 150

SoCal CTO

MARCH 12, 2012

I've talked about that in lots of other posts, so you can visit some of these to help determine what you specifically need: Startup CTO or Developer Startup Software Development – Do Your Homework Before You Develop Anything Key ingredients in the equation are: How complex is the system?

Technical Cofounder 211

Technical Cofounder Cofounder CTO Hire Los Angeles 211

Feld Thoughts

JUNE 6, 2016

To address this, Heather Terenzio, founder and CEO of Boulder’s Techtonic Group, developed Techtonic Academy , an innovative solution in the form of Colorado’s first federally recognized by the Department of Labor technology apprenticeship. I think many software developers share that sentiment. The benefits are obvious.

Coder 70

Coder Salary Software Engineering Software 70

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 12, 2014

Working at Netegrity was an invaluable learning experience, and the salary and benefits gave me a level of disposable income and financial security that I’d never had as an independent consultant. If you’re not a strong software developer, for example, hire someone or bring on a co-founder who is.

Angel Investor 275

Angel Investor Security Cofounder Salary 275

YoungUpstarts

AUGUST 25, 2016

by Aytekin Tank, founder & CEO of JotForm. In the realm of software and internet companies, 2006 was a whole different landscape, and it was the year that I founded JotForm. I was working as a software developer in New York City and came upon a recurring problem, having to spend tedious hours coding online forms.

Bootstrapping 100

Bootstrapping San Francisco New York City Software Developers 100

YoungUpstarts

JANUARY 28, 2016

By Omer Tadjer, CEO and co-founder of Comeet. Hiring mistakes and turnover can be costly for any organization; according to the Society for Human Resource Management , it can cost as much as half of an employee’s annual salary to replace them.

Cofounder 100

Cofounder Hiring Matching Salary 100

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

Several people have recently come to me to help them source and/or hire full-time CTOs for their startup having found me through my post that looks at: Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data. I'd suggest: Startup CTO or Developer , Startup Founder Developer Gap , Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO.

CTO Hire 282

CTO Hire Los Angeles Hiring Technical Review 282

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 4, 2010

Since my background includes software development, I often get the question about when to build a solution in-house, versus outsourcing it to a local company, near-shore service, or off-shore organization in China, India, or Eastern Europe. Overall, I believe that the demise of software entrepreneurs has been greatly exaggerated.

Software 129

Software Intellectual Property Non-disclosure Agreement Non-Compete 129

SoCal CTO

APRIL 27, 2011

Several people have recently come to me to help them source and/or hire full-time CTOs for their startup having found me through my post that looks at: Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data. I'd suggest: Startup CTO or Developer , Startup Founder Developer Gap , Part-Time CTO , Technology Advisor , CTO Founder , Acting CTO.

CTO Hire 225

CTO Hire Los Angeles Hiring Technical Review 225

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 5, 2010

When I was interviewed for my first startup CEO job, I was expecting a $150,000 salary, but instead was offered an opportunity to contribute $50,000 to the business, and work for equity only. Another one to avoid cash burn for software development is a contract for percent of future revenue. Great strategy.

Burn Rate 120

Burn Rate Startup Salary Equity 120

Austin Startup

JULY 8, 2017

I can’t tell you how many times I run into first-time founders who’ve been fed absolute nonsense from ‘advisors’ ‘mentors’ or similarly named people about their ‘secrets’ for managing legal spend. A COO / CFO wants to justify his salary, and an easy way to do that is by claiming to ‘save’ you legal fees via DIY legal work. Me: “Great.

Startup 48

Startup Salary Early Stage Software 48

ReadWriteStart

MAY 22, 2012

When it comes to financing a brand-new startup, most founders find themselves stuck between the proverbial rock and hard place. So far, Herman has put about $60,000 on his credit cards, using them mostly to finance software development. That’s why it’s so tempting to use credit cards to jumpstart your business.

Technical Review 118

Technical Review Software Review Angel Investor Startup 118

This is going to be BIG.

MAY 12, 2014

I take a salary of $100,000, while healthcare and other HR related expenses like add up to another $16k on top of that. It''s also probably less than most funded CEOs are making--or certainly less than your average software developer. That''s a big help. You''re running pretty lean when you''re on your first fund.

Investment Bankers 167

Investment Bankers Term Sheet Venture Capital Technical Review 167

Berkonomics

AUGUST 10, 2017

Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and more make up the majority of the “burn rate” (monthly expenses) for most companies. Since this number is budgeted and pre-authorized, managers tend to focus upon other things such as sales, marketing and product development issues.

Silicon Valley 97

Silicon Valley Burn Rate Angel Investor Down Round 97

crowdSPRING Blog

APRIL 25, 2014

The Ultimate List of Customer Development Questions – crowdspring.co/1nHT6tS. Salaries Startup Founders Pay Themselves | Business Insider – crowdspring.co/1nHU2OK. The Ultimate List of Customer Development Questions – crowdspring.co/1nHT6tS. Avoiding common data-interpretation errors – crowdspring.co/RNprpc.

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

ReadWriteStart

MAY 10, 2012

So began Developer Boot Camp. The initial class, taught mostly by Bishay and a group of volunteers, produced 21 students, 15 of whom got job offers (with an average starting salary of $79,000) as developers at the end of the program. Bishay now has a full summer class of 40 students and is taking applications for the fall.

Ruby 137

Ruby Developer San Francisco Silicon Valley 137

This is going to be BIG.

JANUARY 2, 2011

In today’s world, one of the bottlenecks we have to innovation is the lack of software development talent. Bringing skilled developers in from other cities or moving them over from banks is also helpful, but I think it’s the kind of thing that skilled recruiters can also do a good job of.

Developer 117

Developer New York City Java Ruby 117

www.joelonsoftware.com

MARCH 24, 2010

When we decide to hire someone, the interviewers who were involved in the "hire" decision will sit down with the candidates resume and salary history and figure out what level they will start at. Some companies actually consider it a firing offense to reveal your salary! Its neat and egalitarian.

Software Review 48

Software Review Stock Options Salary Technical Review 48

Hearpreneur

JUNE 4, 2021

Feeling motivated by this realization, I connected with my brilliant Co-Founder Amy Yuan, who then built a massive database consisting of reviews, assessments, and scientific research related to skincare. Even though I had a job and earned a decent salary, I was spinning my wheels just to pay my bills. Photo Credit: Victoria Wieck.

Entrepreneur 135

Entrepreneur B2B Database Technical Review 135

SoCal CTO

APRIL 28, 2014

There was a lot of passion in the room last week when I presented Working with Developers at the Stubbs Precellerator. I guess it should not be a surprise that Founders have lots of challenges working with developers. Developers (and Founders) are challenged to know how much is okay in terms of bugs.

Technical Cofounder 280

Technical Cofounder Developer Fractional CTO CTO Hire 280

Software By Rob

JULY 13, 2010

It wasn’t until the past decade that a designer or developer could leave the safety of a salaried position in pursuit of a career as a solo entrepreneur. Im a serial web entrepreneur here to share what Ive learned in my 11 years as a self-funded startup founder. Follow me Startups for the Rest of Us. 0) #3 Rob on 07.14.10

Software Review 44

Software Review RSS Software Developers Software Development 44

Software By Rob

JULY 16, 2009

This book is for software developers who want to start successful web businesses and includes interviews with Joel Spolsky, Eric Sink, Guy Kawasaki, and David Allen. It’s an in-depth look at the process of moving from a salaried position into entrepreneurship. Follow me Startups for the Rest of Us.

Software Review 37

Software Review Software Developers Software Development RSS 37

Software By Rob

SEPTEMBER 29, 2009

A few weeks ago a Micropreneur Academy member asked about getting started as a freelance developer since freelance development can be more conducive to getting started as a Micropreneur. Instead of being able to justify a somewhat fixed salaried workday, you find yourself working longer and longer hours as client demands increase.

Software Review 53

Software Review Developer RSS Software Developers 53

Berkonomics

MARCH 30, 2010

Fixed overhead for salaries, rent, equipment leases and more make up the majority of the “burn rate” (monthly expenses) for most companies. In the technology sector where I most often play, extended unplanned software development cycles account for the majority of these corporate failures. Email readers continue here.]

Silicon Valley 85

Silicon Valley Burn Rate Angel Investor Down Round 85

rob.by

MARCH 8, 2012

He begins by explaining how he arrived at his conclusion: I began the hunt to find a technical co-founder – a software engineer who works for no cash – to help me build my dream website. Twelve months into my startup journey I had four half-built websites that had been built by my four ex-technical co-founders.

Technical Cofounder 42

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Engineering Fractional CTO 42

YoungUpstarts

JUNE 16, 2020

Strohl, CPA and founder of Protax Consulting, a firm that offers tax services to expatriate Americans , “everyone wants to live someplace warm and beautiful.” To formulate your profitability, you must take into consideration all outgoing payments like payroll, and your gross income, yes even your own salary. This is called a multiple.

Valuation 162

Valuation CPA Software Review Revenue 162

femgineer.com

JULY 18, 2010

If you’re a founder who is still trying to grasp the product roadmap and create a company vision its probably not a good time to hire an engineer. There are a lot of engineers out there who have been burned by founders who pull and push them in a variety of directions. Sweat equity or salary?

Engineer 41

Engineer Software Review Startup Technical Review 41

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

A suitable replacement is too rare; it takes too long to find someone, convince them to join for almost no salary, and get them up-to-speed and productive. ” This is a component of why founders are almost always sad and sometimes permanently depressed even after a successful sale of a company.

Software Review 294

Software Review Channel Revenue Non-Compete 294

www.virtuosimedia.com

MARCH 8, 2012

This article should also serve as a starting guide for programmers who are approached about becoming technical co-founders. Otherwise, you will have to offer actual compensation (read salary) in addition to corporate shares. Software development is like an iceberg – 90% of it is under the surface. Salaries/Bonuses.

Technical Cofounder 41

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Technical Review NDA 41

www.readwriteweb.com

OCTOBER 7, 2007

But when done well it can really help get a company going fast, professionally and without the founders having to give up much (if any) equity - or bankrupting themselves. The founders may believe they are onto such a good idea that they don’t want to give up any equity. Award contract - Negotiate a software development contract.

Bootstrapping 41

Bootstrapping Offshore Startup EC2 41