How Founders Decide What They Should Get Paid

“We all took really, really small salaries to optimize the runway for the company,” she said. At Syndio, she tried a different approach: While her leadership took below-market salaries, “they were not as drastically low as the choices we made when we co-founded SmartSheet,” she said. She added that it was a good idea for founders and start-up executives to simply ask their investors about what an appropriate salary might be. (Ms….