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Comment by auston | Hacker News Reader

Right, I suppose I should have been more candid.

We are in the final stages of the development of the product. So there is no revenue; we're paying market (45-60k) plus options, but we're not ready to just dish that out to anyone.

It's kind of like finding a girlfriend. If you're filthy rich (and its obvious) than the playing field becomes uneven. We want people who are motivated by long-term opportunity, not taking a salary and clock punching from 10-5.

OK you may have a point here, but surely, if this post were to discourage people who are only looking for a salary haven't the "ends justified the means" ?

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45-60k is market? :/ ouch.

Maybe in the Idaho market.

Now I feel undervalued making 60k in SF bay area three years ago :(

It really depends on what you're doing, where you're doing it and who you're doing it for. If you were a writer 3 years ago, you were banking it.

I made websites at a big corp. I thought it was pretty decent for a kid like me that dropped out of school and didn't want to go back. I worked extra too just to try to impress my bosses because the name and reference on my resume was well worth it.

It probably was then.

It is in Broward and Palm Beach county, Florida.

after cross-referencing salary.com and payscale for boca raton, the average pay for someone with 2 years experience (just to approximate the skills required for the position) is about $58k. $45k is off the bottom end of the chart, approaching the 0th percentile.

to pay above market, you'd need to be paying $60k minimum, not maximum.

all of this is, of course, assuming benefits (health/dental/etc).

For an entry-level, fresh out of a mid-tier school graduate, perhaps. (based on my experience as a programmer in NW Broward)

That's definitely a valid point. Even if you had the money to pay above market rates, you still wouldn't because you know people exist who are willing to work really hard for less than market rates, if that gives them the opportunity to make a difference and build something great. In your case, you have to pick between extra runway and salary. That's a no brainer: 2 months of runway can be the difference between profitability followed by success and failing.

About the end justifying the means: Scaring off people you don't want to hire in the first place is easy. The problem is that by doing so, you're bound to give off bad vibes to people who would otherwise consider your company. Bear in mind that the people you want to hire are -by definition- in high demand. That means that they can (and should) demand a lot from you.

Just like in dating, people need only one reason to dismiss you as a qualified employer/so. Don't give them that reason.

I hope you're giving a LOT of stock because for 45K you're gonna get high school kids or part-time college students.

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