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

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

AUGUST 8, 2022

Here is my summary of the ten top creativity mistakes we both still see too often: Criticize any new idea or employee suggestion. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company. A natural human reaction to any new idea is to point out potential weaknesses.

Stock Options 277

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 277

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

SoCal CTO

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

I know a lot more about CTOs specifically CTO Salary and Equity Trends 2009-2011 , Visualization of Startup CTO Equity and Salary Data , Startup CTO Salary and Equity Data , but I've previously written about the issues with Equity for Early Employees in Early Stage Startups. Quick & Dirty How-To: Employee Stock Option Allocations

CTO Hire 329

CTO Hire Equity Seed Stage Option Pool 329

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

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 14, 2017

As a starting point the board is intended to have legal and financial responsibilities to a few key constituencies: shareholders, debt holders, creditors, employees, government and major parties with whom the business operates. ICOs certainly have a place in startup financing.

Cofounder 217

Cofounder Stock Options Equity Technical Review 217

Up and Running

MARCH 7, 2018

In my time, I learned a thing or two about the importance of preventing employee turnover. Aside from the time-consuming tasks of screening potential employees, interviewing, and re-hiring , losing and replacing employees is expensive. On average, it costs nearly three times an employee’s salary to replace them.

Employee 91

Employee Startup Salary Hiring 91

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

The Startup Magazine

DECEMBER 17, 2023

Taking better care of your employees is not just a moral imperative; it’s a strategic necessity in today’s competitive business landscape. Employees are the foundation of any organization, and their engagement and well-being have a direct and profound impact on productivity, morale, and the overall success of the company.

Employee 104

Employee Stock Options Programming Equity 104

Berkonomics

DECEMBER 14, 2023

How about employees all the way down the line and through the corporation? But how about awarding stock options to all employees? These plans are not as popular today because of their complexity and difficulty to manage, lost in favor of simple stock option plans. Show everyone financials?

Employee 62

Employee Stock Options Stock Equity 62

abovethecrowd.com

FEBRUARY 1, 2009

Prominent finance publications like the WSJ and the Motley Fool along with several bloggers have recently taken shots at Google with respect to their decision to re-price a boat-load of employee stock options.

Stock Options 40

Stock Options Stock Finance Technical Review 40

Steve Blank

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Most of her lessons were applicable to any government employee venturing out to the private sector. The same Emotional Quotient and approach that attracts investors will also attract excellent employees. Talk with multiple employees at the company. Below is the second of her three-part series. Read part one here.

Government 239

Government Advisory Board Salary Sales Cycle 239

Women Entrepreneurs Can

NOVEMBER 23, 2023

Benefits for employees are incentives that increase their sense of fulfillment and job satisfaction. Health savings accounts, flexible spending accounts, life and disability insurance, and medical, retirement, and vacation plans are widely available employee perks. They also use visual or video resources to complement the text.

Employee 52

Employee Stock Options Salary Hawaii 52

Berkonomics

APRIL 4, 2024

The number of employees grows. And then company grows… Once the company hits high growth or larger size, it is logical to follow the standard practice in the creation of two standing committees composed of outside board members (not employees or executives) – the compensation committee and the audit committee.

Covenant 48

Covenant Software Review Stock Options Vesting 48

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Here is my summary of the ten top creativity mistakes we both still see too often: Criticize any new idea or employee suggestion. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company. A natural human reaction to any new idea is to point out potential weaknesses.

Stock Options 236

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 236

thinkspace.com

SEPTEMBER 7, 2012

How to Divide Equity to Startup Founders, Advisors, and Employees. The part that I’d like to zero in on is when you’ve got a high growth company what are some of the best practices out there to distribute equity to the founders, advisors, and employees? Equity for Employees. Strike price of options: meaningless.

Equity 62

Equity Employee Founder CTO Hire 62

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 17, 2013

I’ve never really understood why the majority of stock option refresh grants are stacked grants mid-way through the granting process. Assume you hire someone and grant them 10,000 options with monthly vesting of four years with a one year cliff. One thing, however, has always baffled me. Let me give an example.

Stock Options 134

Stock Options Stock Vesting Retention 134

Up and Running

OCTOBER 19, 2021

The American job market has become even more competitive amid the pandemic-fueled “Great Resignation” — the number of employees quitting their jobs peaked in April 2021 and has remained high over the past few months. . 4 qualities to look for in a good startup employee. Enterprising employees will make do anyway.

Startup 127

Startup Salary Stock Options Employee 127

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 2, 2018

One of the lessons I have learned over the years as a business executive, and now as a mentor to entrepreneurs, is that if you really want employees who enthusiastically take ownership of their work, you have to start treating them like owners, not renters. Employees can’t be owners if they don’t understand the business targets and realities.

Employee 180

Employee Stock Options Leadership Stock 180

The Next Web

JUNE 15, 2012

From Silicon Valley to Peoria, Illinois, cash-strapped startups look for inventive way to finance their business – often handing out equity to employees, consultants, vendors, and other service providers. However, if you are thinking about compensating non-employees with equity, make sure to consider the following points: 1.

Equity 116

Equity Stock Options Vesting Stock 116

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

DECEMBER 10, 2022

I was shocked to read an old Gallup study that indicates only 13 percent of employees worldwide are actively engaged at work, and more recent data shows only a small change in the right direction. I believe that increasing your team’s motivation will be more effective than providing new and advanced tools for increasing productivity.

Stock Options 362

Stock Options Salary Leadership Stock 362

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2015

One more key employee or one more investor will probably not turn the situation around. Calculate employee stock option values and vesting times, as well as salary. These questions are the key ones in every due diligence effort, always done by accredited investors, but almost never done by key employees and new partners.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

Women Entrepreneurs Can

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

Invest in Your Employees Investing in your employees is just as important as investing in technology or physical assets. Additionally, consider offering incentives such as bonuses or stock options to reward employee performance. Invest in Your Community Consider investing in your local community.

Artificial Inteligence 52

Artificial Inteligence Guerilla Technical Review Stock Options 52

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2016

One more key employee or one more investor will probably not turn the situation around. Calculate employee stock option values and vesting times, as well as salary. These questions are the key ones in every due diligence effort, always done by accredited investors, but almost never done by key employees and new partners.

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

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. But what about the other employees? It is the nature of things to change; expecting otherwise is foolish.

Acquisition 120

Acquisition Technical Review Stock Options Employee 120

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 29, 2022

The new era of highly connected and interactive technology is changing not only how business employees interact with customers, but also how they interact with each other, and with their company. I am happy to see reports that young companies are leading the way in these trends, on both the customer and the employee side.

Cost 313

Cost Stock Options Cloud Differentiation 313

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 21, 2021

Should be overwhelm prospective employees with stock options and perks? But more difficult is the sticky issue of employee incentive compensation. This one seems non-negotiable for many non-production-line workers and offers savings for both the company and employee if properly implemented and supervised.

Employee 62

Employee Stock Options Salary Stock 62

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

Berkonomics

OCTOBER 19, 2017

How about employees all the way down the line and through the corporation? But how about awarding stock options for all employees? These plans are not as popular today because of their complexity and difficulty to manage, lost in favor of simple stock option plans. Yes, sometimes the news is not good.

Employee 97

Employee Stock Options Stock Equity 97

Both Sides of the Table

JULY 29, 2010

Mark Jeffrey - Q: “Is it more traditional to do your ESOP (employee stock option plan) before or after your angel or Series A funding?&# I talked about the need to have a restricted stock plan for your earliest employees. You’re not screwing me – you’re screwing your fellow employees.

Venture Capital 282

Venture Capital Term Sheet Valuation Stock Options 282

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. Rob is one of the most driven and successful CEOs I work with. He is very pleasant when he calls and writes. More information comes out.

Advisory Board 365

Advisory Board Fractional CTO CTO Hire Los Angeles 365

Business Plan Blog

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

Reserve 10-20% Of Your Company’s Outstanding Equity For A Stock Option Plan. It is critical for a start-up to consider this reality and reserve 10-20% of its outstanding equity for a stock option plan. Equity incentives are a major form of compensation for most emerging growth and technology companies.

Stock Options 61

Stock Options Stock Option Pool Dilution 61

Both Sides of the Table

AUGUST 17, 2009

Assuming normal valuations at fund raising rounds you’ll be down to 6-12% after you’ve created a stock-option pool and raised capital. But these people seldom make retirement money from the stock options on these companies. I know that 6-12% is more than most senior executives who join start-ups get.

Founder Vesting 365

Founder Vesting Intellectual Property Stock Options IP 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. Each was surprised, pleased and effusive. Consider the kinds of exits.

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Stock Options Stock Distribution Programming 192

The Next Web

SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

Dealing almost exclusively with first time startup founders, we tackle the following question with nearly all of our CEOs: How much equity should they give to the employees? In one instance, I told a CEO that we typically recommend a 15 percent stock options pool at seed/Series A stage. She rolled her eyes in disbelief.

Equity 154

Equity Employee Option Pool Stock Options 154