[exelius]

Yeah, it can be hard to know some of the core things like market entry strategy without having been burned before. Even if you get the strategy right, setting up your sales and marketing plan (compensation, market profile, etc.) such that it implements your strategy is also a challenge. My belief is you should never have commissioned sales people in a young software startup; always pay them on a salary + bonus structure with bonus targets that reflect your strategic priorities (i.e. number of customers, revenue per customer, etc.) These can and will change frequently as you "pivot" your product development.