This is going to be BIG.

NOVEMBER 28, 2021

Over the last two and a half months in the hospital, I’ve actually been fairly productive—no doubt setting the record for VC term sheets offered literally from inside the NICU (three). I mean, think about it—if you have to pay a recruiter to hire someone, you’re paying, on average, 25% of their first year salary anyway.

Hiring 179

Hiring Early Stage Marketing Term Sheet 179

Up and Running

JUNE 7, 2021

Staunch in his belief in paying workers a respectable wage and in hiring women, people of color, and individuals with disabilities for high-paying jobs when doing so was not an accepted practice, he virtually created the American middle class. The history of social responsibility in business.

Framework 191

Framework United States Employee Vesting 191

Duct Tape Marketing

MAY 19, 2020

Service or Product Videos. That’s where product or service videos come in. A video showcasing your offerings can help to dynamically demonstrate all the pros of purchasing your product or service. Even for simple products, video can help to bring the item to life. It doesn’t matter what kind of business you run.

Video 101

Video Marketing Technical Review Software Review 101

NZ Entrepreneur

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

experiments to build a product, find customers, test business models and hire amazing people. The culture in a startup is also about moving fast, making informed guesses, learning when things go wrong (which they often will), and iterating and reiterating the design of the product or service until you get it right. Compliance.

Technical Review 88

Technical Review Software Review New Zealand Due Diligence 88

View from Seed

JANUARY 5, 2016

Even experienced startup execs who have hired and built teams sometimes find there are nuances to learn between building a team within a larger company versus hiring the first dozen folks in a startup. What did we like/not like about past companies’ approach to hiring and team development? It’s a moving target.

Founder 120

Founder Cofounder Startup Early Stage 120

Steve Blank

MAY 19, 2015

Startups focus on speed since they are burning cash every day as they search for product/market fit. While he kept bringing the conversation back to their big valuation I tried to steer the conversation back to how they were going to deal with: training the influx of new hires – in both culture and job specific tasks. the company had.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Salary Early Stage Software Review 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2016

If the company has been around for more than a couple of years, and still has no product or revenue flow, there better be a good explanation. Every startup should have at least a couple of outside advisors who are not major investors or family members, anxious to talk to new investors and key new hires.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2015

If the company has been around for more than a couple of years, and still has no product or revenue flow, there better be a good explanation. Every startup should have at least a couple of outside advisors who are not major investors or family members, anxious to talk to new investors and key new hires.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

Duct Tape Marketing

OCTOBER 8, 2023

Benefits of Hiring a Fractional CMO If you’re a business owner, the thought of hiring a full-time Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) may have crossed your mind. Cost-Effectiveness of Hiring A Fractional CMO The cost difference between hiring a full-time and fractional CMO is staggering.

Technical Review 74

Technical Review Retention Networking Leadership 74

Up and Running

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Stock options are issued to employees usually through an Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) and include what is called a “vesting period.” The vesting period, often three or four years, frees up a percentage of the options for the employee to purchase the longer they stay at the company. See Also: How to Hire Your First Employee.

Equity 60

Equity Employee Stock Options Vesting 60

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 22, 2010

I never hire job hoppers. You have tough choices to make about whom you hire on your team. Google offers your product for free. Now is the time that you need “all hands on deck.&# That awesome gal you hired in engineering has job options and she knows it. If you want to hire them as contractors fine.

Hiring 392

Hiring Employee Vesting Silicon Valley 392

ReadWriteStart

MAY 3, 2012

With a four-year vesting schedule and a six-month “cliff” or trial period, you can get others to join in on the fun of startup, and make progress without expending cash. Outsource: Don’t hire people, use independent consultants who come highly recommended from your peers when you need to bring in expertise. Bootstrap 1. Bootstrap 5.

Bootstrapping 137

Bootstrapping Software Review Startup Equity 137

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 18, 2015

And even this can’t stop their employees from fleeing after two years of vesting to move on to the next hot startup. But honestly 10 extra hours in the office each day we would be there is way more productive. Hire fewer employees until you’re bursting at the seems with work for the ones you have. Year in, year out.

Software Review 150

Software Review Turkey Portfolio Syndicate 150

Steve Blank

APRIL 10, 2019

Startup employees calculated that a) their hard work could change the odds and b) someday the stock options they were vesting might make them into millionaires. The stock trickled out over four years, as you would “vest” 1/48 th of the option each month. Essentially the company sells them the stock at zero cost, and they reverse vest.

Stock Options 333

Stock Options Stock Vesting Common Stock 333

www.avc.com

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

The most common comment in this long and complicated MBA Mondays series on Employee Equity is the question of how much equity should you grant when you make a hire. For your first key hires, three, five, maybe as much as ten, you will probably not be able to use any kind of formula. So the VP Product gets an equity grant of ((87.5k/25mm) 

Equity 64

Equity Employee CTO Hire Fractional CTO 64

The Next Web

AUGUST 26, 2013

Today, in steps 10-12 I want to discuss with you raising your first round of money, hiring to develop and maintain your company culture, as well as defining your role in the management of your startup. They need to challenge your way of thinking, your way of doing business, and your way of building products. 10-20% for employees.

Management 120

Management Cofounder Startup Bootstrapping 120

crowdSPRING Blog

JULY 1, 2011

How to Hire a Graphic Designer – [link]. How to Hire a Graphic Designer – [link]. Interesting but punitive provision in Skype’s option plan allowing repurchase of even vested options at grant price – [link]. Here are some of the links that I’ve liked and shared this past week!

Social Media 92

Social Media Small Business Design Media 92

Steve Blank

JULY 19, 2010

As a founder I fought with VC’s over vesting as they brought in a new CEO and walked me out the door. As a board member I negotiated with founding CEO’s over vesting when I thought it was their time to go. Yet the traditional vesting model ignores this. It’s time to rethink how we vest stock for founding CEOs.

Vesting 251

Vesting Liquidity Event Venture Capital Founder Vesting 251

Hunter Walker

FEBRUARY 20, 2021

I’m a big proponent of startups hiring talented high-ceiling people who are earlier in their careers and haven’t necessarily yet done the job they’re being recruited for. You’ll be setting the new hire up for success and this should pay off in multiples. It’s a great group to use for networking, press quotes, product feedback and such.

Advisory Board 150

Advisory Board Equity Vesting Startup 150

The Startup Magazine

OCTOBER 30, 2018

As you are forming your new business, creating new products and hiring new employees as your company grows developing new materials, you will encounter scenarios where you need to create, review, and sign contracts. Therefore, it’s often a good idea to hire a contract lawyer to have on retainer. Contract Lawyer.

Intellectual Property 100

Intellectual Property Idaho Entrepreneur IP 100

The Next Web

JUNE 21, 2015

The Product Hunt Manual by Kiki Schirr. As someone who’s still early on in their Product Hunt obsession, I haven’t really looked at PH much from the business side. But Product Hunt is becoming an integral part of more and more startups’ launch strategies, so it’s obviously time I get familiar with how the site can be used.

PR 60

PR Startup Software Review Technical Review 60

Austin Startup

AUGUST 20, 2017

Hiring is a chapter unto itself, but it deserves to lead off any discussion of context. Compensation decisions obviously affect hiring and retention. You can’t be too careful in determining comp packages for your new hires. You want to see your product or service performing in the hands of real users.

Technical Review 48

Technical Review Software Review Cap Table Securities and Exchange Commission 48

techcrunch.com

JUNE 22, 2012

It’s an age-old scenario: You’re building a company, you have a product idea, and you’ve got the framework laid out in your head, but you want some expert advice and guidance on how to take the next steps. He covers startups, music, social, mobile, health, and education.

Equity 94

Equity San Francisco Startup Silicon Valley 94

Up and Running

OCTOBER 13, 2022

Since everyone benefits from the company’s financial growth, it often leads to increased productivity, efficiency, and even cash flow. Before hiring an advisor, be sure to look into their years of service, legal fees, and track record in successfully establishing growth-oriented ESOPs. Establish how your ESOP works.

Vesting 88

Vesting Stock Valuation Stock Options 88

blog.aparttimecto.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

One of the main challenges of starting a products based company is how do you build your product? This is especially true of web based companies, whose product consists of mainly a web site and very little more. Communication - Hiring a technical employee early on can sometimes result in a founder developer gap.

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Fractional CTO Equity Vesting 40

Hunter Walker

JUNE 7, 2022

When I left in 2003 we agreed that my final title could be focused on Product and Marketing, since that’s what I was interested in pursuing next. The ‘average’ startup offers a 90 day period post employment where you have to exercise any vested stock options before forfeiting them back to the company.

Stock Options 94

Stock Options Vesting Stock Valuation 94

www.informationarbitrage.com

FEBRUARY 24, 2010

Selecting value-added angel investors and advisors can also help with the camaraderie issue, as they can provide advice and counsel during the solitary period of hard-core coding and product development. They might give them too much stock, and even have that stock not subject to vesting provisions. So my advice to CTO / Founders?

CTO Hire 40

CTO Hire Founder Cap Table Vesting 40

Reid Hoffman

DECEMBER 10, 2020

Couchsurfing is a bad product experience. I believe Airbnb is going to be a different kind of company, with a different kind of product and service, that will become a different kind of platform for launching businesses that go well beyond replacing hotel rooms. Everyone has couches, and now you can rent them.” You should go do that.”

Hosting 69

Hosting Hockey Stick IPO Silicon Valley 69

Steve Blank

JUNE 15, 2010

Will they tailor your vesting to your contribution as a founder? They understand that now’s not the time to hire a senior VP of Sales to start to scale the sales force or to look for a finance department to create income statements that say zero each month. Will The VC Tailor Your Vesting to Your Contribution?

Founder 231

Founder Vesting Later Stage Early Stage 231

www.inc.com

SEPTEMBER 24, 2011

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 He suggests granting the options on day one but making sure they vest only upon satisfactory completion of the project. Receive package valued at $2,000!

Fractional CTO 40

Fractional CTO Equity Iowa Technical Cofounder 40

Up and Running

JULY 11, 2017

Most successful business plans entail launching a new product, service, or distribution outlet that attacks existing market competitors on what military planners would term an exposed flank. Hospitals could replace their med-surg beds with this advanced product, revitalize their floors, and save millions in rental fees.

Technical Review 80

Technical Review Development Team Review Differentiation Leadership 80

This is going to be BIG.

JULY 16, 2012

Still, I contend that most companies have no idea how to hire, and in the last week, my theory got proved to me several times over. I wasn't hiring, but I agreed to meet him due to his generous offer. I know the team who hired this person--he wouldn't have gotten an offer if he wasn't terrific. It's a shame, too.

Hiring 148

Hiring Software Review Technical Review Startup 148

Startup Professionals Musings

JANUARY 23, 2017

Other things, like hiring and firing people, raising money, and building a strategic plan get pushed off until it’s too late. Most procrastinators keep their failures and slippages close to the vest, to minimize their embarrassment. Trying to cure procrastination by putting in more hours and skipping time off is counter-productive.

Vesting 120

Vesting Partner Restful Naming 120

Eric Friedman

JANUARY 23, 2022

Competitor fundraises, product launches, similar businesses (totally DIFFERENT businesses!). Having advisors invest in your company and vesting into early stage equity is a powerful combination. Hiring takes longer than you think. I love to look at founder calendars to calibrate how important hiring is to them.

Early Stage 78

Early Stage Equity .Net Vesting 78

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 13, 2013

Chief Vesting Officers)? The Aqui-hire Business. Hire legions of young, impressionable graduates from the top engineering universities. I’m supposed to believe that my best innovation can only come from scores of startup founders who just made millions and have now become CVOs at my company? Go do a startup. Woo the press.

Liquidation Preference 357

Liquidation Preference Early Stage Retention Lock-up Period 357

Duct Tape Marketing

JANUARY 2, 2018

Smith said while the company is not hiring large numbers of people, it is aware that its average worker is 50 and wants to prepare for the future. They have a vested interest in how well the company does,” he observes. ” He notes the people he is hiring out of college don’t approach projects the same way.

United States 29

United States Baltimore Engineer Software 29

www.instigatorblog.com

OCTOBER 23, 2010

I gave him similar numbers to what I had been given when I was hiring the first few employees for Standout Jobs. David’s absolutely correct when he writes, “Remember the goal is to incent early employees to have an emotional ownership of the product and company they are building. 1% is just not a lot. 1% is just not a lot.

Equity 41

Equity Employee Startup Vesting 41