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 give out stock options. Do the harder work and convince them to join anyways – without the stock option bravado. ** Unless you really are Mark Pincus, Mark Zuckerberg, Ev Williams or similar.

Stock Options 294

Stock Options Stock Valuation Liquidation Preference 294

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2022

The best entrepreneurs, and the best executives in mature businesses, have learned how to foster both high efficiency and high creativity, in a balance that keeps their business ahead of the pack on both sides of the equation. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company.

Stock Options 277

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 277

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 29, 2015

Thus, options don’t “pay the mortgage” today, so to speak. Unless you have a sizable nest egg, or a working spouse with an income to support you, I would recommend that you consider any stock options as a “potential bonus,” rather than a key part of your compensation for joining a startup. 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Stock Options 120

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 120

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happily surprised when I found the classic book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation.

Technical Cofounder 308

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 308

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2014

If you think you are the perfect fit for the entrepreneur lifestyle, but you’re not yet sure if you’re ready to start your own, then I recommend that you take a job with an existing startup first to validate the culture realities against your dream. Hang out where entrepreneurs meet. Who gets stock options, and how many?

Technical Review 250

Technical Review Stock Options Due Diligence Silicon Valley 250

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 7, 2020

Even though I’m a big proponent of becoming an entrepreneur, it is definitely not for everyone. In my view, entrepreneur roles need to be planned carefully rather than made on the spur of the moment. Adopt the Silicon Valley entrepreneur family model. Founders stock and stock options are worth nothing for the first few years.

Silicon Valley 315

Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Stock Options Flash 315

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 17, 2013

I embrace this – my goal is to help these entrepreneurs and management teams win. I’ve never really understood why the majority of stock option refresh grants are stacked grants mid-way through the granting process. I know compensation is an important part of the feedback / reward loop. Let me give an example.

Stock Options 134

Stock Options Stock Vesting Retention 134

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

The best entrepreneurs, and the best executives in mature businesses, have learned how to foster both high efficiency and high creativity, in a balance that keeps their business ahead of the pack on both sides of the equation. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company.

Stock Options 236

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 236

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

Entrepreneurs see “no risk” as meaning “no reward.” There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. Many entrepreneurs think they can reduce and predict risk by emulating previous winners like Google and Twitter. Marty Zwilling.

Startup 283

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 283

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Entrepreneur : A successful CIA case officer must be able to operate amid ambiguity and make judgment calls that require strong second- and third-order thinking. Most people believe case officers and entrepreneurs are big risk takers, when, in fact, they’re risk mitigators. A Board of Directors has a formal and legal role.

Government 212

Government Advisory Board Salary Sales Cycle 212

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

Entrepreneurs see “no risk” as meaning “no reward.” There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. Many entrepreneurs think they can reduce and predict risk by emulating previous winners like Google and Twitter.

Forecast 161

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 161

The Startup Magazine

MAY 19, 2020

For many entrepreneurs and startups, investing in stocks is a good option for building more capital. So knowing more about stocks and trading is critical. A stock, which can also be referred to as a share or equity, is a proof of ownership of a fraction or part of a business entity.

Stock 90

Stock Securities and Exchange Commission United Kingdom Technical Review 90

View from Seed

APRIL 27, 2020

I’m reading letters (public and private) every day from relentless entrepreneurs who have been forced to make some of the hardest decisions of their lives as they fight to keep their companies going. Some are staring into the abyss and they know they are not going to get out.

Cofounder 194

Cofounder Software Review Portfolio Technical Review 194

The Startup Magazine

NOVEMBER 8, 2020

Here’s how you too can use IV to your advantage, something all entrepreneur traders need. IV is based on how a stock is expected to perform over the course of a year. Standard deviation (SD) is the unit of measurement that represents the probability that the stock will reach the end of a specific price range in one year.

Stock Options 142

Stock Options Merger Stock Entrepreneur 142

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first.

Stock Options 362

Stock Options Salary Leadership Stock 362

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

I recently read a post over on VentureHacks titled, “ Top Ten Reasons Entrepreneurs Hate Lawyers &# written by Scott Walker (who blogs on legal issues for entrepreneurs ). Forget to get around to setting up that Employee Stock Option Plan and want to be able to give the early guys their options at a low strike price?

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happy to see a new book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation. dream team entrepreneur startup technical'

Technical Cofounder 245

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 245

YoungUpstarts

MAY 7, 2017

Moy is eager to pass on his knowledge about tech startups to young entrepreneurs who are just as captivated by the field as he has always been. Jonmichael Moy]: I’ve personally found that today’s tech entrepreneurs are so much more advanced compared to when I was working in Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley 183

Silicon Valley Technical Review Product Canada 183

Startup Lessons Learned

MARCH 13, 2015

We live today in a golden age of writing and resources for entrepreneurs. Even 10 or 15 years ago, when I first cut my teeth as an entrepreneur, there were very few things to read. It wasn''t meant to be an encyclopedia or a work of theory, but it had one overriding virtue: it was useful to actual practicing entrepreneurs like me.

Entrepreneur 60

Entrepreneur San Jose Technical Review China 60

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

We received so much positive feedback from our This Week in Venture Capital show walking through valuation calculations & term sheets that we decided to do a Q&A show this week to address topics that entrepreneurs want to learn about. on the entrepreneur side of the table) when I raised at too high of a price. This is wrong.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Term Sheet Valuation Stock Options 282

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Yet every entrepreneur I meet wants to talk about the idea, and rarely mentions the team. Thus I was happily surprised when I found the classic book, “ The Tech Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide ,” by Bernd Schoner, PhD, and cofounder of ThingMagic, which leans heavily on the people side of the equation.

Technical Cofounder 144

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 144

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

With the current volatile economy, as an active startup mentor, I’m seeing a new surge of entrepreneurs and startups, with the commensurate scramble for funding. This approach is thus not viable for entrepreneurs already out of money. Increased jeopardy and less fun for the entrepreneur. Marty Zwilling.

Merger 261

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 261

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2022

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. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. Marty Zwilling.

Founder 325

Founder Hockey Stick Cofounder Liquidity Event 325

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

The best entrepreneurs, and the best executives in mature businesses, have learned how to foster both high efficiency and high creativity, in a balance that keeps their business ahead of the pack on both sides of the equation. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company.

Stock Options 141

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 141

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2022

I have added my own insights, based on my experience advising and working with entrepreneurs and startups: Pay for results, rather than pay for work. Their reward is more free time for leisure, or more time for bonus objectives and stock options. Measuring results in itself is not new.

Cost 313

Cost Stock Options Cloud Differentiation 313

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

Entrepreneurs see “no risk” as meaning “no reward.” There are no guarantees in business, but it pays to learn from the experiences of entrepreneurs and business experts who have gone before you. Many entrepreneurs think they can reduce and predict risk by emulating previous winners like Google and Twitter.

Forecast 120

Forecast Startup Stock Options Technical Review 120

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. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. Marty Zwilling.

Hockey Stick 268

Hockey Stick Cofounder Entrepreneur Liquidity Event 268

Berkonomics

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

Most successful sales of businesses, again especially in the technology arena, enrich younger entrepreneurs and stock-option holders who are under fifty years of age. I followed many of these stated retirees, and very few if any retiring entrepreneurs stay that way for long. The post Entrepreneurs do not easily retire.

Entrepreneur 62

Entrepreneur Stock Options Stock Sales 62

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 24, 2014

I have added my own insights, based on my experience advising and working with entrepreneurs and startups: Pay for results, rather than pay for work. Their reward is more free time for leisure, or more time for bonus objectives and stock options. Alison Maitland business entrepreneur future work Peter Thomson startup trends'

Entrepreneur 261

Entrepreneur Startup Stock Options Social Media 261

Hearpreneur

DECEMBER 31, 2017

So that’s why we are excited about 2018 because there will be more and more entrepreneurs and businesses. Here’s something other entrepreneurs look forward to:: #1- Bring in a new team. I have spent a great deal of time studying the fundamentals of stocks, option trades, goal-setting, and public speaking. 10- Team growth.

Entrepreneur 63

Entrepreneur Stock Options Programming Washington 63

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. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. Marty Zwilling.

Hockey Stick 144

Hockey Stick Cofounder Entrepreneur Liquidity Event 144

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.

Stock Options 192

Stock Options Stock Distribution Programming 192

Up and Running

DECEMBER 1, 2015

If however you are giving a “normal employee” an incentive stock option plan (more on that later), that’s entirely different. Make sure you understand all of your options before making any decisions. When business owners decide to go down the route of equity compensation, there are two primary options to choose between.

Equity 60

Equity Employee Stock Options Vesting 60

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

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. Jake Lodwick wrote an article on PandoDaily entitled “An acquisition is always a failure.”

Acquisition 120

Acquisition Technical Review Stock Options Employee 120

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 8, 2019

With the current strong economy, as an active startup mentor, I’m seeing a new surge of entrepreneurs and startups, with the commensurate scramble for funding. This approach is thus not viable for entrepreneurs already out of money. Increased jeopardy and less fun for the entrepreneur. Being a public company isn’t cheap or easy.

Merger 303

Merger OTC IPO Due Diligence 303

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2020

In my own experience as a startup advisor and mentor, I find that entrepreneurs who can’t attract and maintain a highly motivated team rarely even get off the ground. Thus if you want to change the world with your new business, you need to follow the example of startups like Zappos , which hires according to cultural fit first.

Product 322

Product Stock Options Salary Leadership 322

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 25, 2013

If you are an entrepreneur for the first time, or entering a new business area, it’s usually worth your time to assemble an Advisory Board of two or three executives who have travelled that road before. Yet you should offer a small monthly fee and/or some stock options to show you are serious about the position. Marty Zwilling.

Advisory Board 241

Advisory Board Entrepreneur Stock Options Stock 241