Slicing Pie

Funding Your Company without Funds

By: Mike Moyer

Narrated by: Kevin Young

Length: 4 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

You and a partner go into business together and split the equity 50/50. You do all the work and your partner slacks off. He owns half your business - now what?

Slicing Pie outlines a process for calculating exactly the right number of shares each founder or employee in an early stage company deserves.

You will learn:

• How to value the time and resources an individual brings to the company relative to the contributions of others
• The right way to value intangible things like ideas and relationships
• What to do when a founder leaves your company
• How to handle equity when you have to fire someone
• Important issues to discuss with your lawyer
• Much more

Research shows that dynamic equity split models, like the one outlined in Slicing Pie, is the best way to avoid conflicts as the company grows. The new and improved Version 2.3 contains updated information about legal issues, idea valuation, retrofitting, and much more!

©2012 Michael Moyer (P)2014 Michael Moyer

Good, but would like to see a second edition...

... because I read on the author's own blog how times have changed and he would have taken things out of the book or change them if you were to do it again. Let's get that knowledge out there. And also let's get a few variations that can work with founders who are also investors and/or incubators or Startup studios.

Great approach to really fairness on equity

It truly makes it simpler to split the equity and treat everyone fair regarding allocation of equity

Laugh out loud learning

This has been one of the most entertaining books I have heard since I started my personal growth journey. Not only is the book jam packed with real life practical insight, it keeps you engaged with quick witted humour. After I finished it I was looking for the next 10 people I could share this treasure with. Thank you Mike!

This is a Godsend for startups

I've started a company with a relative before, and it was a disaster.

The way it works with 50/50 deals is that one partner (me, in this case) does the work, makes things happen, and contributes to the success of the company. The other partner still gets paid as if they are contributing as much.

Resentment builds, and an imminent showdown occurs where friendships can be tested or lost, and the real work of who gets what after the fact is finally done--or not, it just gets dissolved.

THIS METHODOLOGY SAVES THAT FROM HAPPENING!

I love the concept, and we are using this to start our new company. I'm excited about it, and the business will be better as a result.

Thank you, Mike Moyer for putting this out into the world!

For me as a German: groundbreaking

If you could sum up Slicing Pie in three words, what would they be?

Startups done better.

What about Kevin Young’s performance did you like?

He kept me engaged and focussed throughout the book, even in the case examples which I sometimes find hard to follow along without a pen and paper at hand (which I did not have available, sitting in the car when I listened to this book).

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - I listened to it all in one sitting. 4 hours of my life well invested.

Any additional comments?

The challenge now will be to implement something like a grunt fund based dynamic equity split concept in Germany - whose IRS counterpart tends to err, shall we just say, more towards the conservative side of things. But then life wouldn't be such a great journey without challenges to overcome and problems to solve.

So simple and fair

I have listen to slice of pie twice. This is since the idea for a new company has ever come to my mind and before I even organize my team. I am almost as excited about the grant fund and dynamic equity split as I am about my product that we have already invented now. We have a working prototype and I have loved as my engineer and designer has accrued probably a large portion of the pie. As our second and third phases roll out myself and others will have a greater role to play and so that dynamic equity will shift. It's beautifully simple. As we begin to integrate the fourth phase of our pie we will get to bring back our engineer and designer to help mass produce. It's an exciting venture and this book has made it much more simple.

Great Equity Advice for Starting Your Business

This book was really useful for explaining a dynamic equity model. As I was setting up my business, I struggled with the breakdown of equity to remain fair and plan for future investment and contributions. The grunt fund model was great to learn about and properly reward people for the time and investment they have and will make in the company. Definitely read this if you are planning to start your own business and need to share equity.

Thought Provoking/Nice Alternatives

Perfect length, thought provoking ways to handle equity buildup. will need to send a few questions about sweat equity for book 2!

Great ideas, concise and to the point

Great ideas, well told with sufficient examples, concise and to the point. Y O

Must read for starters

I would say this is a must-read for starters and anyone looking to apply creative financing to new business products or ventures