How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
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Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#2Interesting post, though $70k to live in San Francisco? That's going to be pretty tough, honestly it's crazy expensive here.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#3Interesting post, though $70k to live in San Francisco? That's going to be pretty tough, honestly it's crazy expensive here.
Honestly not that hard, especially if you live in a shared apartment. Plus if you look at his benefits, it looks like they cover some living, food, internet, and gym expenses. I grew up with friends who lived in NYC earning less than 35k a year with no such benefits. Now THAT was tough.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#4A tip for people writing on corporate blogs: let us know who you are up front. Whether there's a byline under the title or a short intro sentence/paragraph preceding the article, knowing who you are gives the reader a way to frame what your story.
Because the tech industry is so heterosexual male-dominated, when I read that the author was engaged to the CEO, I first assumed I had misunderstood, then I thought the author was a gay man. Only upon reading further did I find that the author was a woman.
That confusion could've been cleared up in the first paragraph in which Michelle writes, "I’ve picked up quite a bit just by being around our CEO, Kyle, for the past few years." Why not tell us here why she's "been around" Kyle for so long? Further confusing the point, she mentions later that she's "friends with all of the founders." And engaged to the CEO might've been a helpful addition.
This kind of information completely changes the context of the advice – negotiating with a stranger is a completely different dynamic than negotiating with someone you (I assume) share a bed with.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#5Does 1.25% seem ridiculously low to anyone else? It seems to me like she should have negotiated to be a co-founder instead of employee #1.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#6Is this in line with expected salaries/equity for a #4-6 employee of a pre-series A startup in SF? What about NYC? For some reason I thought equity would be a bit higher for the first few employees.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#7Wait, this line confused me:
> Another thing that made this situation complicated was that Kyle and I are recently engaged.
So, your fiance is Kyle, who is the guy you're doing negotiations with for her salary?
The methodology is extremely useful, but I feel like that makes this story extremely specific. Like you said,
> I told him that, if I got this offer from any other company, he’d be the first person I would ask for help.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#8A tip for people writing on corporate blogs: let us know who you are up front. Whether there's a byline under the title or a short intro sentence/paragraph preceding the article, knowing who you are gives the reader a way to frame what your story. Because the tech industry is so heterosexual male-dominated, when I read that the author was engaged to the CEO, I first assumed I had misunderstood, then I thought the aut…
That bit of information about them being engaged was just kind of sprinkled into the middle of the article as if it was of no significance.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#9Does 1.25% seem ridiculously low to anyone else? It seems to me like she should have negotiated to be a co-founder instead of employee #1.
I agree... no-one wants to be the first employee, instead push for last co-founder.
It is an interesting insight to what some startups get away with though - a way below average salary and a tiny speck of equity.
She must truly believe the company will sell for hundreds of millions of dollars (unlikely) in order to see a decent return.
Re: How I negotiated my startup compensation (with numbers)
#10Interesting post, though $70k to live in San Francisco? That's going to be pretty tough, honestly it's crazy expensive here.
Honestly not that hard, especially if you live in a shared apartment. Plus if you look at his benefits, it looks like they cover some living, food, internet, and gym expenses. I grew up with friends who lived in NYC earning less than 35k a year with no such benefits. Now THAT was tough.
NYC may have been high then, but it isn't near SF now.
http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forums/nyc-cost-of-living-is-...