compensation

(This article originally appeared in the "Starting Up" column of the Boston Business Journal.)

This is another in a series of columns on "how much things cost." This time, some metrics on the cost of employees.

I have six clients who have been fortunate enough to receive significant early-stage venture capital financingi in the past month or so. They are all struggling with the problem of rapid hiring to achieve their business plani. Before they were funded, life was easier in some ways—there was no money to spend on new hires. Now they have the cash to spend, but need to spend it wisely. Here are the results of an informal survey I did about what people are spending on employees these days.

Employment costs fall into several broad categories:

Recruiting Expenses.
Finding technically qualified people who can function effectively in a rapidly growing startup venture is not an easy task. In another column, I discussed the economicalternatives for head hunting. For this column, it suffices for me to remind you to be sure
to devote the time to make sure that your hires are as close to perfect A-10s as possible.Anything less will be a drag on your business.

Build a Team(Step 4):

Build Stage: