I don't think that many bosses think like that.
What if the company is not that profitable, can you still stay competitive? Are you willing to risk the future of the company?
What if the company is not that profitable, can you still stay competitive? Are you willing to risk the future of the company?
I deny the choice. I think most companies that make a habit out of underpaying good people to stay barely in the black don't survive in the long haul. If I were faced with that choice, I'd be honest with everybody about the financials and we'd work something out. Either we're pursing something pretty lucrative, in which case it's a temporary deviation from market rates, or we're barking up the wrong tree, in which case the company isn't worth doing.