The experience of starting a business is many things—exciting, inspiring, fulfilling—but also involves a lot of hard work. One thing entrepreneurs realize very quickly is that they CANNOT DO IT ALL alone! So how do you go about bringing the talent you so desperately need, the right partnership to take your game to the next level?
Have you considered the concept of sweat equity?
Sweat equity refers to the hard work, time, dedication, and “sweat” that you and your stakeholders have put into your company to make it happen and increase its value. Why are so many entrepreneurs talking about it? Because getting the right talent in your organization is key to your success and bringing the help you require early on can be costly.
But then how do Entrepreneurs compensate the people who help them get started and make their venture a reality?
1. Demonstrate Potential | Get Buy-in
Any strategy for early stage companies to develop the right reward mechanism, to build the right relationship, starts with the ability to demonstrate the Company potential for growth.
For example, conducting a thorough market research is an essential first step in demonstrating the potential for growth. Entrepreneurs must understand and identify market size and trend, target market, and determine the size and potential for their product in the market. This will help stakeholders see the growth opportunities.
This presents a great opportunity to start pitching, and testing the validity of your business model, the validity of your pitch. Have you started Pitching your business concept? If not. START!
2. Create WIN / WIN Partnerships
What is the profile of a successful entrepreneurial partnership? a Win/Win situation is one where all parties benefit, one where the partners embrace their complementary skill sets and find mutually beneficial involvement. It’s important to take the time to understand how people work best, what motivates them and how to approach motivation of each and build together a practical innovative team.
Figure out your unique talents and skillset you can offer that set you apart from the competition. Figure what skills you don't have and need to get. If you haven't already, Go GET THEM!
In early stage companies, getting the skill set your require can be done via on-boarding advisors and employees that may receive stock options or equity, as a reward for accepting below market rate salaries. That is a common practice.
However giving employees or advisors a part-ownership of your Company may feel like giving away your new born baby. It can be difficult! The benefit to this approach is that it allows you to build "Skin in the Game" early on in the set up of your venture. It gives you the mechanism to reward valuable talent and act as a motivator in exchange for sweat equity.
When your Company begins to show considerable potential for growth while still lacking funding to pay employees or advisors, issuing stock options can be a good option to consider.
3. The Benefit of Sweat Equity
Does Sweat Equity compensates for the shortage of cash? You bet it does! Entrepreneurs and founders of start-up companies are often disadvantaged by the limited access to funding. While they devote their time to building their ventures and work very hard, through long hours and hard effort, they will only be rewarded when the company becomes profitable or a liquidity event occurs.
As such, sweat equity allows to "raise funds" without actually raising funds! Sweat equity provides the platform to get “money” by selling a portion of the company. The advisor, employee who takes a pay cut at the early stages is rewarded through stock options and ownership percentages that place them on the same page as cash equity investors later on in the life cycle of the Company.
4- Sweat Equity is a Precious Commodity
Finally, sweat equity is a precious commodity. Don't give it out without a strategy and certainly do not find yourself handing it over to freelancers, marketers and junior "non permanent" staff, just because.
You are in a long term game, you need to think about people that will be surrounding you next year, in 3 years, in 5 years and longer. Look at sweat equity as a stepping stone to success. Instead of borrowing money to pay talent, you include in your business talent that believes in your venture and is willing to work for a greater reward later on.
Upcoming Event: Sweat Equity, How Does it Work?
We’re excited to announce the upcoming Founder Round Table & Speed Networking Webinar. This event focuses on improving your basic knowledge as an entrepreneur, with a focus on investor readiness. Join us to connect with like-minded entrepreneurs and gain valuable insights
Ready to take the next step in your business journey? Our team is here to help you get started. Book a free demo with our experts to explore how we can support your vision and set you up for success. Discover tailored solutions and personalized strategies that will give you a head start. Don't wait—reach out today and let's turn your dreams into reality!
urBIZassist believes in the power of "know-how" to transform lives and positively impact the world around us.
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