0.1 Listen to every piece of advice coming your way

1.9 Do not debate with people when they are advising, keep sponging it. Why no debate? You don’t wanna let them flesh their thoughts when they are giving it, it should be based on their experience and not on your argument.

2.0 Sort, expunge and apply what you feel best

BTW,thanks alot for sharing experience’s

You are inspiring. I subscribed your blog in my Greader.

-Swathi

I agree with you on everything but the point about market salaries. I have to disagree. Equity offered is worth anything only if you get the same status as founders. That means transparency of the capitalization table and dilution protection. And fair terms like vesting of options upon termination. Otherwise, the equity offered should be valued at 0.

We had a conversation on twitter recently on the same topic: https://twitter.com/#!/nileshtrivedi/status/140081290832646144

Without sharing the cap table, there is no way to value the equity component of the compensation and therefore it doesn’t make sense to compromise on the cash component. Even beyond this, there are a number of ways founders can screw employees and get away with it – *cough* stock dilution. *cough* Zynga.

Sure, it sucks for startups but just like they face harsh realities everywhere else, they can face this too. Pay market salaries and then offer equity as a cherry on the cake.

1. Company incorporation doesn’t take 90 days. 30 days max.

2. Fundarising: There might be surplus in the valley but the whole point of being a founder is to be able to figure out how to get things done and funding has been going on in this country and good ones invariably get funded.

3. I completely agree with point 3 & 4. Engineers who want market salary at early stage and willing to take little to no equity is a dangerous combination. And so are mentors who haven’t quite built startups before. Building by yourself is one and helping many build i think are totally different things

Well I have heard parents tell their children “Study now so that you can have fun later in life”. In saying that they are making their kids believe studying is not fun. But, learning is fun! studying is fun! That’s no pain.

Same way, building a company is lof of happiness and fun! I don’t think you are doing that for future money. You are doing that for today’s happiness of adding valu in people’s lives.

You aren’t deprived. You are enriched.