|
I second Joel’s method. Sum it up. - For ownership, fairness, and the perception of fairness, is the most important because arguments are very likely to kill the company. 50-50 is simple and acceptable. - For stakes, divide people into layers by risks they take. Taking the biggest risks, founders the first layer should end up with 50% of the company, total. Each of the next layers take 10% respectively, split equally among everyone in the layer. - Do use vesting to prevent some jerk that quit after two weeks and still think he owns 25% of the company for his two weeks’ work. My thoughts. - For founders, ownership can never be calculated accurately. We’re human beings, we can come up with excuses as many as possible to claim our benefits. That’s why 50-50 works in most cases. - 50-50 is a perception of fairness, is a symbol of “Hey guys, we are equal to each other, we are working for our company, not any of us!”, no matter who brings up the idea, who has more experiences, etc. - Ownership is a process, not a decision. What determine your cake is risks you took, value you created, how long and hard you got involved, etc. Instead of a meeting, a discussion, or even an email. |