Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

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. If it’s too early for customers, make sure you understand exactly when the product ships, how detailed is the rollout and promotion plan, and how many times these plans have changed.

Sweat Equity 207

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 207

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Cofounder 309

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 309

YoungUpstarts

MAY 7, 2017

Jonmichael Moy (Jon Michael Moy) may be a seasoned veteran of Silicon Valley, but this accomplished, dedicated technology executive with more than seventeen years of experience in management and operations, product and business development and marketing has now brought his talents to Toronto.

Silicon Valley 178

Silicon Valley Technical Review Product Canada 178

Both Sides of the Table

SEPTEMBER 6, 2010

I was thumbing through Twitter messages on my Blackberry on Monday (I use Twitter as a “ mobile first, web second &# product) when I saw the following Tweet (see graphic). 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.

Stock Options 294

Stock Options Stock Valuation Liquidation Preference 294

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 8, 2020

Plan to deliver a family of products, rather than a one-trick pony. Even a great initial product, with no follow-on, won’t keep you ahead of competitors very long. A smarter risk is to build a plan, with associated greater resources, that will put you in position to expand your product line and keep one step ahead of competitors.

Management 322

Management Entrepreneur Forecast Stock Options 322

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 11, 2020

Another example is Facebook , maintaining motivation with food, stock options, collaborative office space, an on-site laundry, and a competitive atmosphere that fosters personal growth and learning with great benefits. Investors have long agreed that you invest in the team, more than the product.

Product 322

Product Stock Options Salary Leadership 322

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 1, 2022

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 343

Stock Options Advisory Board Stock Startup 343

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Cofounder 308

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 308

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company. Assign innovation projects to production organizations. Existing production teams are generally too busy meeting monthly deadlines and targets to give new innovations the attention they need.

Stock Options 236

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 236

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 23, 2023

The larger the company, the more they’ll separate out business development and sales, with business development focused primarily on lead generation and sales focused on sealing the actual sale of the product or service. You just have to go in and work through the mechanics of selling them on your product or service.

Government 212

Government Advisory Board Salary Sales Cycle 212

Startup Professionals Musings

JULY 9, 2014

Founders stock, and stock options, will be worth nothing for the first several years, if not forever. Build yourself a list of specific questions, like the following, and get the answers, both informally and formally as you interview and make the rounds: Do you feel strongly about the product or service?

Technical Review 250

Technical Review Stock Options Due Diligence Silicon Valley 250

Startup Professionals Musings

DECEMBER 10, 2022

Another example is Facebook , maintaining motivation with food, stock options, collaborative office space, an on-site laundry, and a competitive atmosphere that fosters personal growth and learning with great benefits. Investors have long agreed that you invest in the team, more than the product.

Stock Options 362

Stock Options Salary Leadership Stock 362

View from Seed

APRIL 27, 2020

Others are just starting out, but the financial safety net they thought they had from a spouse’s job or highly appreciated stock options has disappeared. Some are staring into the abyss and they know they are not going to get out. This is scary. It’s going to last a while, and it’s going to be incredibly hard.

Cofounder 194

Cofounder Software Review Portfolio Technical Review 194

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

Plan to deliver a family of products, rather than a one-trick pony. Even a great initial product, with no follow-on, won’t keep you ahead of competitors very long. A smarter risk is to build a plan, with associated greater resources, that will put you in position to expand your product line and keep one step ahead of competitors.

Startup 283

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 283

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

Plan to deliver a family of products, rather than a one-trick pony. Even a great initial product, with no follow-on, won’t keep you ahead of competitors very long. A smarter risk is to build a plan, with associated greater resources, that will put you in position to expand your product line and keep one step ahead of competitors.

Forecast 161

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 161

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 18, 2015

Founders stock, and stock options, will be worth nothing for the first several years, if not forever. Build yourself a list of specific questions, like the following, and get the answers, both informally and formally as you interview and make the rounds: Do you feel strongly about the product or service?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Entrepreneur Stock Options Due Diligence 120

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 25, 2019

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%

Equity 237

Equity Stock Options Advisory Board Stock 237

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

The administrative work we actually do at board meetings?

Cofounder 217

Cofounder Stock Options Equity Technical Review 217

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2022

Reward shorter hours of high productivity. Their reward is more free time for leisure, or more time for bonus objectives and stock options. Peer pressure keeps productivity standards high. Encourage people to work where and when they are most productive. It does not mean the culture is soft or lacks discipline.

Cost 313

Cost Stock Options Cloud Differentiation 313

Women Entrepreneurs Can

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Invest in Financial Products Investing in financial products such as stocks, cryptocurrencies , bonds, commodities, and mutual funds can provide a steady stream of income while also offering the potential for significant returns. Be sure to conduct extensive research before committing to any financial product.

Artificial Inteligence 52

Artificial Inteligence Guerilla Technical Review Stock Options 52

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company. Assign innovation projects to production organizations. Existing production teams are generally too busy meeting monthly deadlines and targets to give new innovations the attention they need.

Stock Options 141

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 141

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Cofounder 144

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 144

Startup Professionals Musings

MAY 8, 2022

No one wants to put in money until you have a product, and you need money to build the product. Offer low cash early, with bonuses or stock options for milestones, to people in your personal network. Startups are usually founded by product or service experts who don’t enjoy the various growth phases.

Founder 325

Founder Hockey Stick Cofounder Liquidity Event 325

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

You need to have a technical genius on the team to get your startup product off the ground. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners. Outsourcing your core competency does not work.

Technical Cofounder 245

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 245

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. If it’s too early for customers, make sure you understand exactly when the product ships, how detailed is the rollout and promotion plan, and how many times these plans have changed.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Cool ones cease being cool, new products cease being new, the slow-growing startup with a terrific idea is eclipsed by the faster-growing one with weaker ideas, the fast-growing startup by definition changes itself so quickly that year-over-year it’s unrecognizable to those inside it. Companies are constantly changing.

Acquisition 120

Acquisition Technical Review Stock Options Employee 120

Up and Running

DECEMBER 16, 2021

Some reasons why include needing a more detailed picture of your company’s value, submitting taxes, outlining employee stock option plans, or presenting to investors or creditors. Household products 0.6 For many business owners, getting a formal valuation is worth the investment. Rules of thumb in business valuation.

Valuation 86

Valuation .Net Metrics Balance Sheet 86

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

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

Plan to deliver a family of products, rather than a one-trick pony. Even a great initial product, with no follow-on, won’t keep you ahead of competitors very long. A smarter risk is to build a plan, with associated greater resources, that will put you in position to expand your product line and keep one step ahead of competitors.

Forecast 120

Forecast Startup Stock Options Technical Review 120

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

Your contractor wrote a great V1 of the product and it helped you get angel funding. 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? Your memory – they never worked very hard and didn’t want to commit.

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

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. If it’s too early for customers, make sure you understand exactly when the product ships, how detailed is the rollout and promotion plan, and how many times these plans have changed.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

Steve Blank

MARCH 16, 2016

But startups require money upfront for product development and later to scale. For the first few years, your VCs want you to keep your head down, build the product, find product/market fit and ship to get to some inflection point (revenue, users, etc.). But there’s only one reason your company got funded. ——-.

Liquidity Event 120

Liquidity Event Founder Liquidation Preference Venture Capital 120

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 25, 2019

Reward shorter hours of high productivity. Their reward is more free time for leisure, or more time for bonus objectives and stock options. Peer pressure keeps productivity standards high. Encourage people to work where and when they are most productive. It does not mean the culture is soft or lacks discipline.

Stock Options 319

Stock Options Cloud Differentiation Social Media 319

Business Plan Blog

OCTOBER 2, 2012

Importantly, the director or advisor’s tenure should be productive and the rapport built with one another should remain productive in the future. For start-ups, relationships can be an incredibly valuable asset, and although a businessperson’s term of service to the company ends, he/she may remain a resource for years to come.

Stock Options 40

Stock Options Stock Vesting Equity 40

Both Sides of the Table

MAY 27, 2013

In this period (less than 2 years) he has brought on incredibly talented senior execs is sales, marketing, product management, client services, finance, vp engineering and more. And you can often throw in a separate action like approving stock-option grants, getting approval for CAPEX spend, discussing fund raising timing – whatever.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board CTO Hire Fractional CTO Los Angeles 365

Both Sides of the Table

JUNE 17, 2017

It was a stock option incentive related “expense” but I bet you didn’t know that because in an era where we only read the headlines — they must be a train wreck losing billions. Is it one product line or multiple? They used the money to hire a bigger tech team so they could roll out their second product line.

Stock Options 227

Stock Options Startup Dilution Venture Capital 227