The suggestions here are pretty useful but the title, Sweat equity left a bitter taste. Sweat equity works okay where you are a founder not a hired hand. It really means lower wages with a chance of payoff at the mercy of founders.
Agreed. The term sweat equity is a negative one, but if you are joining a company at the stage Cuban is referring to (i.e. when it has little to no cash) you should be getting a reasonable amount of equity -- at least enough to make your hard work worthwhile.
I first read the Mark Cuban blog a few days / weeks back when he did a repost of his own success story. I was impressed and wanted to read more. The last couple of posts have not been so insightful as the first and leave large "what if"s unanswered. I will keep checking back for sure to see if another gem appears though. Maybe I am too wrapped up in looking for the bridge that takes me from intent and effort to success.
Nice quote and a reality for a lot of software companies and is a key JOS essay: "... convert money to code through programmers ..." ~ http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000074.html
The suggestions here are pretty useful but the title, Sweat equity left a bitter taste. Sweat equity works okay where you are a founder not a hired hand. It really means lower wages with a chance of payoff at the mercy of founders.
More reason for starting your own startup.