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How much do founders pay themselves?
Each year, I get dozens of messages from subscribers asking how much they should be paying themselves. Many of you are worried that if you pay yourselves too little, investors will question it, and if you pay yourselves too much, you’ll seem to be putting your needs above the company’s.
To help you out, I’ve collected some data about how much founders at the seed stage are being paid.
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Founder Salaries by Job
CEO: $125,000 ($75,000 to $175,000)
CTO: $140,000 ($70,000 to $200,000)
COO: $142,500 ($75,000 to $200,000)
These averages are heavily weighted towards founders from Silicon Valley. The salary required to cover the cost of living there is ~$131,000. So, if applying this to yourself, you should consider the salary needed to cover the cost of living in your city and pay yourself around that amount. This is what founders are doing at the seed stage.
Do you pay yourself the cost of living as a founder? |
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