Protecting Employee Stock Options From Dilution

Your employees are going to be really worried about their stock options being diluted after a round of funding. This is especially true in bad economic times when you might take a down round with heavy dilution. However, there is a secret weapon you can employ to reduce the dilution you and your employees will…

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How To Hire Elite Talent When You’re Broke

“He wants a salary of $200,000, but I can’t afford to pay him that,” “Stefan” said to me. “Then he doesn’t fit your company culture right now,” I said. “That’s okay…” Do you want to grow your business? I can help. Click here. “Why is it okay?” Stefan asked me. “And what does it have…

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How Do You Determine Your Co-Founder’s Salary?

“I think our salaries should be different,” “Jim”, my co-founder, said to me and “John”, my other co-founder, “You should be paid the most, but, I think we should all have the amount of equity.” Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. That was not the response from Jim…

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What Are The Signs You’ve Chosen A Bad Co-Founder?

If there’s one thing I am an expert in, it’s bad co-founders. After all, the first two teams of co-founders I tried to start my company with didn’t work out. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. There were “Jim” and “John”, my first two co-founders. We worked together…

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What Are The 11 Steps You Can Take When A Cofounder Quits?

I started my company with two co-founders: “Jim” and “John”. I was the CEO, Jim was the marketing guy, and John was the engineering guy. My two co-founders and I had worked together previously.  We understood the plan and direction we were going in. We started pitching VCs after working on the plan for about…

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What Do You Do When Your New Hire Gets A Counter Offer?

“How do you think Maxim (Integrated Products) will react when you resign?” I asked Jeroen. We had just signed a $12 million term sheet for our initial funding, and Jeroen and I had agreed that now was the time for him to resign and become our full time Vice President of Engineering. Do you want…

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Can You Succeed Hiring B & C Level Talent?

“The talent level here is really high,” I said to the engineering candidate I was interviewing. “So, if you want to work with the best of the best, you should join us.” Do you want to grow you business? Maybe I can help. Click here. I was the last person to interview Melind, the closer,…

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How Do You Recruit The Very Best?

I was pumped beyond belief when I got the opportunity to become an Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) at a San Francisco based venture capital firm. I thought their backing me eliminated the concerns I had about raising money. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. However, I was still…

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How Do You Convince People To Work For You?

There are some things you never forget, no matter how long you live. And the meeting “Peter” and I had years ago with Jack Gifford, the founding CEO of Maxim Integrated Products, was one of them. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Peter had just been named Managing…

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How Do You Convince Great Talent To Join Your Startup?

There are some things you never forget, no matter how long you live. And the meeting “Peter” and I had years ago with Jack Gifford, the founding CEO of Maxim Integrated Products, was one of them. Do you want to grow your business? Maybe I can help. Click here. Peter had just been named Managing…

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