I’ve always been a ‘builder’ and have been hired on more than one occasion to be the ‘guinea pig’ to create an enterprise sales function. I absolutely LOVE taking a ball of clay and creating a masterpiece where the business is booming, and my customers are delighted. This is what my dreams are made of and what gets my blood pumping.
True story, I was the first enterprise salesperson hired at an early-stage startup to create the entire function from scratch. Nothing was in place beyond vision and hope, and all eyes were on me to take that and do my “thing” to validate the market. Of course, I negotiated equity upfront as part of my compensation package.
Fast forward, and it was time to grow. I worked my tail feather off to build a solid foundation, and revenue exceeded our expectations. The business was growing across the board and I brought in an old colleague that was offered a lesser job with thousands of more shares than I had.
Umm, what?! Insert the needle on the record!
If I’m being honest, I felt betrayed, slighted, and frustrated. Most people told me to suck it up and use my negotiating skills to ask for more equity later, but that didn’t sit right with me.
I tabled my emotions, busted out my journal to reflect on my negotiation skills, and did my…
