Last year,I worked with a six man startup, where every single individual, subtract myself and the startup founder had plans to launch their own enterprise in a few months.
It was only a matter of time,before it started affecting daily work.The icing on the cake,was a cold email from a potential investor who fancied the project,and was interested in meeting with a rep. Of the team.
The team member sent to the meeting eventually went there to pitch his dream project.He eventually got fired,alongside his cohorts.A year later,he hasn’t even launched THE dream project.
Likewise his cohorts, recently tried reaching out to one of them(a she) about a freelance work I needed done,discussions still led to “I want to be my own boss by 2017”,that ended any talk of a potential collaboration.
All these and tens more events keeps pricking my imagination, and I ask why is that the mentality around here?Why do we All want to call the shots?
Even evident in the amount of phony startups launched every day of the week.Dont Radarians(wonder who created this term)think enterprises,projects etc stand a better chance when people collaborate together?
I support collaborations to the length and width of it. That’s how to build great things. When you merge two or more potentially great ideas and execute properly, you’re on your way to great achievements. It doesn’t matter who the boss is, let the Crown fit the best head.
[this goes out because I want it out.]
Man, you’re literally angry about this! Such an interesting and scathing tirade, I concur with all you said. Pls do your haste and release the “food-is-ready-investors” version. I can’t seem to wait.
[unimportant, del.]
I love every bit of this!
Unfortunately, I did - Yeah! I built this product to re-Launch it on Radar
Is it me or does anyone else feel he is talking about @Jason_Igwe_Njoku ?? 
To be fair on Founders, Not everyone was “Eating raw glass and staring into the Abyss”.
Right now, I am almost very ill after pulling an all-nighter. You don’t expect me to share the glory equally with an employee who has nothing to loose?
An something about your rant tells me you have never had an actual employee before because Apart from the very few dedicated outliers, most won’t string their asses on the line as much as you. Most importantly of all, most won’t f’king take any bloody EQUITY from you. In fact mentioning it, is a very fast way to activate their scam alert 
Yeah I will give them the glory for maintenance and growth but not for standing by my side and working their asses off because most won’t.
Baba, I didn’t mention Jason. I wonder why you mention him. Any business person in Nigeria can fit that profile, you know.
Why mention Jason? that’s Not Good for your health.
LOL. I’m sorry, I think it’s a good thing this team broke up.
I believe that most people underestimate the tremendous amount of man hours, sweat, and other resources that it takes to build a business. Some people wrongfully assume that being your own boss means you can skip work and sleep all day. No sooner than you start that you find out the real facts :
- Your customers /Clients are still your boss
- It’s never easy
On the flip side, it’s good to be a part owner of a business or own entirely. But if your vision is bug enough, you will soon realize that you need people who will build with you.
I’ve personally had similar experiences with co-founders cutting deals at the back and all. Now, I collaborate with people who have shown track records of good stewardship and loyalty in previous endeavors. I also don’t assume that those who excel are necessarily the best. Those who failed but didn’t lose steam usually value opportunities more.
In the end, you’ll realize that short term thinkers a re a poor fit no matter what you’re offering them be Jr salaries or partnership.
Just move on to the next person till you find someone who has GRIT
Nice one, @akindolu!
This is a global phenomenon, but I catch your drift.
How many Nigerian startup stocks are worth owning or working yourself to the bone for?
Like Nathaniel asked, can any good come out of “jollof rice” startups?
Get a seat bro, it seems you’ll be waiting for long. 
How much of that glory can you achieve without the help of the “employees who have nothing to lose”?
That might be because the founders are thinking along these lines.
Would you be willing to string your own ass for a founder who sees you as just another cog in the engine?
Employees are not automatons, but intelligent beings capable of independent thought & can sniff out such BS, you know?
Because for the vast majority of startups, the equity isn’t worth its weight in grass.
Also, founders use that as a way to get employees for free.
Try surviving on your equity, Mr Founder.
Startups abroad usually offer equity to augment the stipend they can afford to pay, and sweeten the deal (no pun intended) with free snacks etc.
What do we have here? Founders offering their measly equity as the WHOLE pay package.
This right here …
I applaud your superior argument but I must urgently point out some facts.
If you take a look at most Startup success stories, Product market fit is usually achieved before the first employee is hired. I was reading YC’s the Marco the other day and the Airbnb’s first employee was interviewed. It was so obvious that the early grind and torture the Airbnb guys endured, that he wasn’t a part of it nor cared really.
I can categorically state that most employers aren’t with this disposition. However, its so easy to acquire esp if you’ve ever made a bad hire. I did.
This is not to say I will throw my employees under the bus, I am just trying to make a case for really hard working founders
This totally contradicts your first point. How will it be worth anything when the employee is already seeking an “already made?” that has prestige?
This is a general assumption and has no backing in reality. A visit to Hacker news (if you haven’t left the country) will convince you that this is rare behavior.
As with all things Startup, this is mostly learned behavior that has been perfected in the West.
So my dear Friend, Startups are really hard and to survive, it needs a team of dedicated workers and managers to set direction. One cannot do without another and a word of advise, In most HR circles complaining about your former workplace is an almost sure guarantee you are not offered the job.
If there is one Lesson I have learnt in life, its that no one owes anybody anything. Life is hard. Deal with it. While the founder deals with his.
Or maybe I am just really angry at that my employee that ran away with my money
I applaud your applause.
In most cases, the founder(s) needs the extra manpower to milk the product-market fit for what it’s worth.
Could Airbnb have gotten to where they are now without any employees? The founders’ hustle can only take a startup so far.
At the end of the day, it boils down to how successful the founder(s) want their idea to be.
Nobody can build something big and successful without help from others, not even Elon Musk.
I hope you get adequate compensation…and him as well.
Well done @hienyimba…Mr. Sub-Delivery man in-training! Hope it felt good?
It is because, “WE” Nigerians like names. Like imagine that feeling when you are called the Boss/CEO cum blah blah blah. Who CEO epp self? 
This reminds me of how Mark Zuckerberg appreciates his employees, on their birthdays or during any other special moments in their lives, on his Facebook page. He calls them his team mates.
Corporate BullShit