Hampton

Founders: what’s your salary? Not your company’s revenue. Not your valuation. Your salary. We asked 250+ founders to share what they pay themselves — and what they pay their senior hires. The results challenge a few assumptions about founder compensation. Especially this one: nearly half of founders pay themselves less than their highest-paid employee. And honestly, it made me think about how rarely we talk about money. I went to a bridal shower this past weekend, and one piece of advice was to always talk about money at home. It stuck with me because, honestly, talking about money isn’t very common. Even with people we’re close to, it can still be an uncomfortable conversation. Founders are no different. How much do you pay yourself? When should your salary go up? Should your Head of Sales make more than you? These are exactly the kinds of conversations we have at Hampton — openly, honestly, and usually over a dinner table with other founders who are figuring it out too. And while money is one of those things we talk about, Hampton isn’t really about money. It’s mostly about building wonderful companies and lives — and having a group of people you can be completely honest with along the way. So we decided to ask our members and get some actual answers. 250+ founders. $280M+ in company value. And a lot of interesting answers. Maybe we should just talk about money more 🤷🏽♀️ 👉🏻 https://lnkd.in/ey9NQmEr

Okay, I owe you all a Hampton retreat recap. I went in expecting a nice dinner and some good conversation, but it was a lot more than that. The dinner had really thoughtful bonding exercises built in. Sounds cheesy but by the end of the night it felt like I'd skipped months of "getting-to-know-you" small talk with my colleagues. The next day we did a breathwork activity, which our members love. Genuinely one of the craziest experiences I've had in a long time and sharing it with the team felt special. Then we did a core group sesh. Everyone shares the #1 thing they're struggling with. I shared something I'd been stuck on for awhile and walked out with real clarity. Felt like we all made a big difference for one another. There's a bunch I can't share (confidentiality is a core value), but it was really awesome. Now I understand why our founders keep coming back. If you're a founder doing $3M+ in revenue, have raised $3M+, or have a $10M+ exit under your belt and you're curious about Hampton, my DMs are open!

Ever try asking a founder or CEO how much they pay themselves, or their employees? Kind of a sensitive subject. But it turns out that having benchmarks on founder pay is pretty useful for founders. Especially if you break it down by industry and revenue... So me and Sam Parr surveyed 250+ members of Hampton who make a collective $280M a year. And we got hundreds of (anonymous) answers to questions like: - Which senior role often gets paid more than the founder? - Which industries have the highest founder pay relative to their actual revenue? (There's a clear answer) - How does salary scale with revenue? Actually, DOES salary even scale with revenue? We broke it down by industry, by revenue size, by senior hire and a lot more. Check out the results for yourself here: ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gSMH65Xt

Bill Gurley (maybe one of the best VCs ever) says the #1 tool for growth isn’t product-market fit. It's not fundraising. And it's not hiring. This is what he said: "Of all the tools available for growth, an engaged peer network might be the most powerful and beneficial." Bill has seen the messy version of Uber, Zillow, Glassdoor, and other $1B+ companies from the inside. He knows that most founders treat their peer network as nice to have when they get around to it. He argues it’s the reason you make it in the first place. Most networking is a waste of time. Surface-level small talk with strangers. Hampton is different. We build the types of rooms Bill is talking about. Small, vetted groups of high-growth founders. Real accountability from people who actually understand your problems. A place to discuss the messy things in your life and business as a founder. Not the polished version people share on social. If that sounds like something you've been missing, check Hampton out and we'll help you figure out if there's a group in your city that's the right fit.

We turn away more than 95% of the founders who apply to Hampton. The floor is $3M in revenue, $3M raised, or a $10M exit. Not to be exclusive for its own sake. The room only works if everyone in it is real. Inside, you get a Core group of 7 to 8 founders who are vetted, committed, and honest with each other every month. Austin Rief built Morning Brew and is in one. This is not networking. It is where the real work happens.

Hampton is a private network of founders doing $3M+ in revenue. Josh is one of them. He's full of energy, and now he's facing the harder problem: building a business that runs well. In his words: joining was the best decision I made. I immediately had a community of people I could relate to and talk to daily. If you're at that level, click the link to apply.