When Founders No Longer Have Any Upside

Just because it's our startup doesn't mean we still have upside in it. [View this email in your browser]( • [Forward to a Friend]( When Founders No Longer Have Any Upside TL;DR: "I thought I was doing the right thing by raising more and more money, but now I'm stuck with so little equity that my upside is super limited. On top of that, the probability that we'll ever reach the exit we need to (in my lifetime) to make this worthwhile is a long shot. What are my options here?" Just because it's our startup doesn't mean we still have upside in it. Anyone who's taken on a single round of capital and has suffered the painful dilution that comes with has had the first taste of "reduced upside." We accept it though, like taking awful medicine because we know it'll make things better in the end. But eventually, that medicine stops working. At some point, we look around and realize that our startup no longer provides the kind of upside for us we thought it would. It was easy to overlook when we could see us "making billions" but now reality has set in and we realize we just have a really stressful job that pays us way below market. Today’s Advice Sponsored by [Morning Brew]( Call it What it is First off, we have to call it what it is — a shitty deal. Is it a shitty deal of our own making? Sure, but that doesn't make it any less shitty of a deal. Every person sitting in the cap table from the first angel investor to the last employee we hired is evaluating their personal benefit of this relationship — we should be no different. But we don't think like that. We create this self-imposed shackle that tells us we have to accept our fate and eat crow because it's our own design. That's just simply not true. But to do something about it, we first have to call it what it is — a shitty deal that we need to unwind. Founders Require Incentive Every single person in the company is driven based on incentives. No one invested in our startup through cash or time for charitable purposes. Our incentive structure as Founders is no different, and when our incentives have been reduced to the point where we're not driven, it's a problem. The challenge is that as Founders no one tells us this. No investor is going to pull us aside and say, "Hey Serena, I'm looking at the cap table and I really don't think there's enough stock for you to get more engaged for the long term — here's some of mine!" Yet, that's exactly the kind of conversation that needs to happen, but it can only happen if we start the conversation. Most Founders don't even realize they are allowed to have this conversation, to begin with! Bad Deal, New Job Just because we started this thing doesn't mean we are chained to it. If the deal sucks for us, we can leave. Ideally, we'd negotiate a better upside before we took that position (we should always try!) but if we feel like the opportunity for us is horrible, it's time to go. Yes, Founders, we can quit our jobs. We can find new opportunities that are better aligned with our upside potential. If the good folks around us don't want to provide those incentives, then we are free to pursue them elsewhere. There's no nobility in running ourselves into the ground. We owe it to ourselves to align our lives with the opportunities that best suit us — even if they aren't at our own startup. [View Article Here]( Some of the top minds wake up with the Morning Brew newsletter How would you like to become smarter in just five minutes? It's possible with [Morning Brew]( the witty business newsletter that over three million people read daily (many of which read it before even getting out of bed). It’s clever, concise, and keeps readers informed on top news stories from Silicon Valley to Wall Street. [Subscribe today]( to make your inbox an even smarter place. In Case You Missed It [Private Investors for Startups: Everything You Need to Know]( A comprehensive guide to everything you need to know about private investors for startups and small businesses. [Startups don’t go bankrupt — Founders do (podcast).]( Wil and Ryan dig into how Founders are often so focused on their startup’s finances that they overlook their own ability to stay afloat in the process. [$250K is a Life-Changing Exit (podcast).]( Wil and Ryan discuss how a $250K lump sum check can have more of a life-changing impact than a massive exit. Love this topic? Hate it? Let's chat on social media! Wil Schroter Founder & CEO @ Startups.com [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2022 Startups.com, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you joined Startups.com. Our mailing address is: Startups.com 1201 Dublin RoadColumbus, OH 43215 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](.