You gain other intangibles being an employee... namely training, working within an industry and learning customs/norms, and meeting people.
I was an employee for years before I left to do my startup. I definitely thought about the purely monetary risk/incentive issues you raise, but I thought about many others:
- if I stay longer as an employee, will my training make my startup more successful?
- am I prepared to be alone, not relying on a boss to tell me what to do and provide guidance on my work quality?
- will I become isolated running my startup not relying on an employer for exposure?
- will being so independent make me more motivated or less?
There's no question I thought about monetary risk/reward, but it's so difficult to calculate any risk/reward with any new company. Often, all you have to go on are these softer questions that you have to answer for yourself.
I was an employee for years before I left to do my startup. I definitely thought about the purely monetary risk/incentive issues you raise, but I thought about many others:
- if I stay longer as an employee, will my training make my startup more successful?
- am I prepared to be alone, not relying on a boss to tell me what to do and provide guidance on my work quality?
- will I become isolated running my startup not relying on an employer for exposure?
- will being so independent make me more motivated or less?
There's no question I thought about monetary risk/reward, but it's so difficult to calculate any risk/reward with any new company. Often, all you have to go on are these softer questions that you have to answer for yourself.