Slicing Pie: Perfect Equity Splits for Bootstrapped Startups

Three Reasons Someone Would Not Want to Use Slicing Pie

If you and your fellow founders have chosen to implement the Slicing Pie model in your bootstrapped startup company, you can rest assured that if you follow the logic you will all get a share of the equity that accurately represents the fair market value of your contributions relative to other participants. Furthermore, you and […]

Beyond the Equity Split: Compete or Non-Compete

Adhering to the competition logic in Slicing Pie employees think twice before slacking off or quitting and startup managers think twice before firing someone or breaking commitments

Unfair Incubators and Accelerators

Incubators and accelerators often request a fixed chunk of equity from the companies who participate in their programs. The organization then provides services such as office space, supplies, access to the Internet, equipment (like printers, copiers and fax machines), mentors and educational programs. I’ve seen these percentages range from 5% to as much as […]

Different Rates for Different Tasks

A CTO, for instance, might code a new app and respond to customer service emails and fix bugs. These activities require different skills and some of the tasks appear to be more important. Sometimes, teams want to assign different pay rates to different tasks.

Slicing Pie Lawyer Recognized as Super Lawyer

Matt Rossetti, who has done hundreds of Slicing Pie consultations, was recognized as an Illinois Super Lawyer. Congratulation Matt! Learn more about Matt

Is Slicing Pie a Scam?

Slicing Pie imposes the same logical consequences on all participants in a startup. Everyone has a choice every day. They can do their work the best they can or not. If not, they lose. It’s not personal, it’s not punishment, it’s just business!

Profit Pitfalls

One of the most common misconceptions about startups deals with the basic definition of profits. Most people understand that Profits = Revenue – Expenses
but, many people make some fundamental mistakes about what constitutes revenue and expenses

Slicing Pie Offer Letter Template

I published a sample Slicing Pie offer letter a few years ago and it has been a very popular download. Last week I took another look at it and made some updates. The key is to make it clear that the participant is being offered a position with an agreed-upon fair market salary, but that […]

New Book in Progress: Slicing Pie À La Mode

I’ve started work on a new book, called Slicing Pie À La Mode, which will cover a number of topics related to Slicing Pie in more depth including: Consulting Companies Real Estate Deals Bonus Programs Incubators and Accelerators (“Nested” Pies) Company Polices I’d like your input with regard to other topics I should be sure to […]

The Four Horsemen of the Equity Apocalypse

There are four major problems with the way most equity splits are created in early-stage, bootstrapped companies. These are the “Four Horseman of the Equity Apocalypse” because the presence of any one of them can easily doom a fledgling startup by causing disputes between founders and other participants that have nothing to do with the actual business. A tragic tale told over and over and over…if you’re a party to an equity split with any or all of these fatal flaws brace yourself—things are going to get ugly!

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