Slicing Pie, simply put saved my company. I entered into the dreaded "fixed split" in the early stages of my company, in an effort to just get the equity discussions over with thinking that equally splitting my company would be for the best, and motivate my other team members and partners to work just as many hours and as hard as me, without resentment. I couldn't have been more wrong. Within 6 months, I was facing serous issues internally in my company, and had to make some tough decisions. Would I continue the venture I once loved and so passionate about? Or shut it down due to the lack of work from my partners. Surely I couldn't keep doing 98% of the work with 33% of the credit, it just didn't feel right at the time.
Then, I found Mike's Slicing Pie book on Amazon, read every single book he wrote within a few days, as I was willing to try anything to keep my company. I was able to save my company with the retrofit guide, while still in the early stages.
It's never too late, don't give up, try the retrofit guide that Mike talks about in this book.Go with the Slicing Pie model! Those "grunts" you are entering into business with now at this moment, no matter how well you know them or their track record, may just allow you to work your heart and soul away, while still keeping a large majority of your company and keeping the reward, don't let it happen! People change, expectations and long term goals change every day, every week, every month and every year. This model accounts for that, it's the best thing that has every happened in the world of start-ups, and will account for almost every situation you can think of, backed by tons of research.
If you go with the model, which you should, then use Mike's software, no matter how much of a budget you may be on it can't be worse than I was when I first started, I assure you, and I was able to pay for it. Don't waste your time with trying to track it on your own, why? Just use the online software.
All in all, this is the way to go if you're even considering making the switch, do it, and leave the one's not willing to work on your project behind, don't lose key talent in your company, how much talent will you perhaps be losing by not choosing this model? That's the key question to answer. What's the risk, what's the reward? A key member of your team you may gain due to this model, may just be worth any bit of discomfort or risk you may perceive at first as you adopt this dynamic equity agreement with your partners.
Nine in ten start-ups fail, that's what they tell us right? Well, maybe if everyone adopted this, only 8.5 in 10 start-ups will fail, and at least if they do fail, they won't be due to inadequate equity agreements which cause the major dysfunctions of team members that often cause failure.
Best wishes and good luck in your project and venture with Mike's slicing pie model.
