Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 27, 2014

Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. The challenge is to avoid the bad risks, while actively seeking and managing the smart risks. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Startup 283

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 283

Both Sides of the Table

JANUARY 21, 2010

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? They usually ask for warrants (basically like a stock option) in exchange for taking a deferred fee. Shame about that pesky FAS 157 ruling. Good people and evil people.

Southern California 318

Southern California Silicon Valley IP Stock Options 318

Both Sides of the Table

APRIL 27, 2010

My original post was directed at hiring managers. My view still stands – for many hiring managers a large factor in looking through resumes of somebody who is 30+ and has never worked somewhere for more than 18 months will be the job hopping element. I learned how to better run a product management process.

Venture Capital 285

Venture Capital Hiring Software Review Stock Options 285

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 4, 2022

Outside professionals are always available, but they may have their own agenda, such as building a career, making money quickly, or managing up the stock price for a quick exit. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 309

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 309

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Outside professionals are always available, but they may have their own agenda, such as building a career, making money quickly, or managing up the stock price for a quick exit. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 308

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 308

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. Options are obviously a very important economic motivator for your first 3-5 employees and your most senior management team. We give out stock options. Then go ahead.

Stock Options 294

Stock Options Stock Valuation Liquidation Preference 294

Startup Professionals Musings

AUGUST 8, 2022

Escalate all problems upward to senior management. Avoid the macho concept that only top management can solve problems or address strategic challenges. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company. Decisions made lower down always get more buy-in.

Stock Options 277

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 277

Both Sides of the Table

DECEMBER 2, 2010

I always encourage people to allocate a few extra stock options to those that join super early when your company is risky and they just believed in you. You can also spend time with a newer startup helping them navigate the world of product management, venture capital or team building. Sure, you can get away with less, but why?

Europe 352

Europe France San Francisco Chicago 352

Startup Professionals Musings

JUNE 11, 2014

Outside professionals are always available, but they may have their own agenda, such as building a career, making money quickly, or managing up the stock price for a quick exit. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 245

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 245

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Escalate all problems upward to senior management. Avoid the macho concept that only top management can solve problems, or address strategic challenges. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company. Decisions made lower down always get more buy-in.

Stock Options 236

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 236

Startup Professionals Musings

OCTOBER 17, 2013

Thus, stock doesn’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 224

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 224

Ben's Blog

OCTOBER 6, 2011

In theory, they want a well-managed company with a great culture. Similarly, a high quality Human Resources organization cannot make you a well-managed company with a great culture, but it can tell you when you and your managers are not getting the job done. Is your management team world-class in all phases?

Management 64

Management Development Team Review Stock Options Technical Review 64

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 22, 2012

Thus, stock doesn’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 “bonus,” rather than a key part of your compensation for joining a startup. 7% Product Manager,2 -.3%

Stock Options 230

Stock Options Stock Advisory Board Startup 230

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2023

The allocation of shares among the founders, and the number and size of outside investments, will tells volumes about the health, stability, and management of the business. Calculate employee stock option values and vesting times, as well as salary. How complex is the capitalization table?

Sweat Equity 207

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 207

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

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. We believe that it is unwise for VCs to try to time markets or do unnatural things to manage investment pace. This is scary. Number of Investments.

Cofounder 194

Cofounder Software Review Portfolio Technical Review 194

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. The challenge is to avoid the bad risks, while actively seeking and managing the smart risks. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Forecast 161

Forecast Stock Options Technical Review Metrics 161

SoCal CTO

JUNE 9, 2010

He’d wasted a year of his life and had a pile of stock options that weren’t very interesting. Klout Puts Metrics Into Social Media Management - Tim Berry's Blog - Planning Startups Stories , May 21, 2010 I really like klout.com for three good reasons: 1.) Tesla is not. What should I do?’. Where Do You Fit? m pleased.

Fractional CTO 248

Fractional CTO Startup Venture Capital Cofounder 248

YoungUpstarts

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

by Evan Stephens, tax manager at Sensiba San Filippo. In today’s start-up culture, it’s common for companies to offer employees the opportunity to own stock in the business. While most folks know the basic benefits of receiving stock, many employees are taken off guard by the tax implications that follow.

Stock Options 124

Stock Options Stock Capital Gains Vesting 124

Feld Thoughts

OCTOBER 8, 2013

Wikipedia reminded me – it’s another Peter Drucker creation from The Practice of Management. I have a deeply held belief that a manager cannot “motivate behavior.” Figure out an equation for converting the bonus amount (in current cash terms) to stock option awards.

Stock Options 146

Stock Options Technical Review Leadership Equity 146

Startup Professionals Musings

FEBRUARY 18, 2018

Outside professionals are always available, but they may have their own agenda, such as building a career, making money quickly, or managing up the stock price for a quick exit. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 144

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Startup 144

Startup Professionals Musings

NOVEMBER 19, 2017

Escalate all problems upward to senior management. Avoid the macho concept that only top management can solve problems, or address strategic challenges. An even better alternative could be stock options, linked to the long-term success of the company. Decisions made lower down always get more buy-in.

Stock Options 141

Stock Options Incubator Framework Stock 141

Up and Running

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

I’m a mom, a full-time sales manager, and recruiter. Taking a campaign online and encouraging non-accredited investors to use a crowdfunding platform is a great way to show their support, manage the volume, and market your business. Management Resumes and Organizational Chart. Stock Option. Customer References.

Angel Investor 159

Angel Investor Technical Review Software Review Accredited Investor 159

The Next Web

OCTOBER 25, 2013

Square Global Facilities Manager Maja Henderson says moving to a large office space that is designed to feel small promotes synergy. From offering breakfast and/or lunch once a week to making sure the coffee in the kitchen is always fresh and restocked, many startup managers say food is one perk not to be overlooked.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco Design Product Startup 167

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

Many risks can be managed or calculated to improve growth or provide a competitive edge, while others, like skipping quality checks to save money, are recipes for failure. The challenge is to avoid the bad risks, while actively seeking and managing the smart risks. Risk is more manageable with subscriptions and even freemium pricing.

Startup 120

Startup Forecast Stock Options Technical Review 120

Feld Thoughts

JANUARY 17, 2013

It’s the annual bonus, next year bonus plan, option grant refresh cycle. For many management teams, especially in rapidly growing, or mature companies, it’s an important part of their existence as culturally we’ve oriented compensation, bonuses, and future compensation around an annual cycle. Let me give an example.

Stock Options 135

Stock Options Stock Vesting Retention 135

A Smart Bear: Startups and Marketing for Geeks

MARCH 11, 2014

And when you look at the tools that we use, I mean we’ve made so many technological advances, but really to manage a meeting there’s not a practical tool available. We use email; we use Word; we use task manager; we use a file sharing tool. They are so happy that they finally have a tool to manage their business.

Technical Cofounder 220

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Software Review Management 220

Startup Professionals Musings

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

Outside professionals are always available, but they may have their own agenda, such as building a career, making money quickly, or managing up the stock price for a quick exit. The rest can come from early hires (with stock options to assure commitment), equity investors, or even strategic partners.

Technical Cofounder 120

Technical Cofounder Cofounder Advisory Board Stock Options 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 10, 2016

The allocation of shares among the founders, and the number and size of outside investments, will tells volumes about the health, stability, and management of the business. Calculate employee stock option values and vesting times, as well as salary. How complex is the capitalization table?

Sweat Equity 120

Sweat Equity Burn Rate Technical Review Intellectual Property 120

Startup Professionals Musings

MARCH 21, 2016

The most effective and productive team members are positive, driven and want to be measured by results rather than hear work hours, perks or stock options. If you haven’t yet focused on attracting and managing the right people, it’s still too early to look for funding. Motivation and commitment to results.

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Stock Options Salary Hiring 120

Startup Professionals Musings

APRIL 8, 2015

The allocation of shares among the founders, and the number and size of outside investments, will tells volumes about the health, stability, and management of the business. Calculate employee stock option values and vesting times, as well as salary. How complex is the capitalization table?

Technical Review 120

Technical Review Due Diligence Sweat Equity Burn Rate 120

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

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

crowdSPRING Blog

OCTOBER 10, 2014

Stock option questions startup employees should ask | Business Insider – crowdspring.co/1n8lUje. 44 engineering management lessons – crowdspring.co/1x7TVkf. Why entrepreneurs should learn to say “I don’t know” more often – crowdspring.co/1pGXXeF. ” – crowdspring.co/1slKVZ2.

Social Media 97

Social Media Small Business Design Media 97

The Next Web

AUGUST 12, 2013

It’s important you understand the risks, and start managing them. I managed that by simply being completely transparent about our financials (I still am). However, there is a way to help manage risks and to deal better with day-to-day challenges – and that is by having great co-founders. Remember, that’s precisely your job.

Cofounder 119

Cofounder CTO Hire Startup Europe 119

Up and Running

JANUARY 4, 2017

Stock options, increased pay over time, a flexible schedule, and use of work resources are all great incentives for snagging yourself a talented new employee. Struggling with effective time management. When faced with a limited number of hours in the day, it’s no wonder they struggle with time management. Social media.

Small Business 122

Small Business Social Media Stock Options Employee 122

www.joelonsoftware.com

MARCH 24, 2010

Fog Creek explicitly recognizes that many good software engineers have no desire whatsoever to do "management" or to take on a formal personnel management role. One of the purposes of the Fog Creek Professional Ladder is to create a career path with promotions for engineers who simply do not want to do management stuff at all.

Software Review 48

Software Review Stock Options Salary Technical Review 48