5 ms·

May be a stupid question but: can you suck it up until the acquisition goes through, take the money, leave, and try bagging stuff at a grocery store for a few m

• throwaway10595 9y ago
  > Does the acquisition involves you signing a contract and being forced to stick around for a few years? Yes they range from 3 to 5 years, with much of the compensation coming from future earnings.
  • ScottBurson 9y ago
    Sounds like you're talking to more than one potential acquirer, yes? That should give you more negotiating leverage. Seems to me that if you want to cut the earnout to 1 year in exchange for a smaller total package, that should be something they would entertain. Another option is to forget the acquisitions for the moment and bring in someone else to run the business, technical enough that they can pick up the details quickly. Bring them in as a co-founder; offer them maybe 20% of the company (with 4-year vesting that accelerates on acquisition) and explain that you want to turn over the day-to-day to them. Once they're comfortable running the business, you can resume trying to sell it, or just sit on a beach and sip mai-tais.
  • jaclaz 9y ago
    Don't take it the wrong way, but there are some unresolved problems that most probably caused your current feelings, you should make a list of them and try and solve them. It is not possible - no offence intended - that you managed to lock yourself in a position such as the one you described, where your product/company/service/whatever can't live one week without you in the office. And by the same token it is not possible that someone - knowingly - is going to give you money for something that can only work if you are not only at the steering wheel, but also doing the most relevant work all the time (it would be far too risky). Now that is more clear that the offer is actually largely linked to future earnings (and obviously your future work) it sounds a lot like they are buying you and your competences (and not your company/whatever). Maybe you should really talk first with someone that can help you with your (momentary) crisis (that would be psychological support, if you can stay away from prescribed drugs would be advisable) then - as soon as you have regained some objectiveness and a peaceful state of mind - take some time to talk with your immediate associates (be them co-founders, executives or employees) and try to make a plan to solve those problems (which seemingly essentially revolve around either missing resources in the company or missing attitude to delegate some of your work).
  • wolco 9y ago
    I would not agree to those terms because chances are you will get much less than you expect. Hire help and train and take more time off.
  • vacri 9y ago
    Can you negotiate a small sabbatical early in that period?
  • itwy 9y ago
    "much of the compensation coming from future earnings" why bother selling if you are stuck in the company anyway? You are saying: I will give the company to somebody and that person will give me its price when and if he sells. This is a ripoff, not an acquisition . It doesn't work that way.
  • nathan_f77 9y ago
    Try to negotiate a clean break for 30% of what you were going to get, and find someone to replace you.