jtesp

A couple years ago in the beginning I had a partner... he got married, had a baby & stepped away so I took full ownership. I kept going, bootstrapped and eventually got it off the ground and am currently generating a bit of income. Problem is I'm wearing too many hats and can't grow. Not only is it very stressful doing it alone, it's at the point where it makes no business sense because it can't grow.

I could afford to hire a developer part time, but I really want somebody on the team who's passionate about building something that is theirs. Also, I want another brain to help in all areas of the business, come up with ideas, provide camaraderie and support.

Perceived valuation is currently $1M - $1.2M

I've known a particular candidate for about 6 months and we get along well, I have trust in his abilities, and have an overall good feeling about him. I presented the idea and he expressed interest but couldn't come on full time without pay. I don't really need full-time right now anyway so that's ok. I'm thinking paying a reduced hourly rate (or no pay) and he can build some sweat equity. Does a "working interview" make sense in this situation? Where he "earns" his equity over the course of a 3-6 months through actual work and proof? The tricky part is coming up with the numbers. Any advice greatly appreciated here.

I'm curious about the different scenarios and approaches that can be taken. Also, some do's and dont's and what precautionary measures to take would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

The ubiquitous Facebook & Twitter "app icon" logos. Every website, every TV commercial, every magazine, every poster, even on radio... "Like us, follow us!"

Companies are spending millions of dollars promoting a website because it's "in", cool, trendy. How long can it last? Most of them just have the f & t logo with no explanation as to why they are there. Just f & t. What does that do to benefit them?

You can't click a TV, magazine, poster or radio. How many of you actually watch a commercial or read a magazine, see the f & t logo and think to yourself "I'm gonna go Like or Follow a laundry detergent company."

Obviously f & t are proven and effective ways to connect with consumers, but how effective is it for companies to promote them on their own ads without any incentive?

Seems that the "hype" is dying down for f & t and that it's become common place. I wonder how long it will take for people to become numb and uninterested in them and move on to the next latest and greatest thing.

I'm interested in learning what other hackers think about this. Please add on. Thanks.

Social networking is convenient and entertaining, but is that it? I can count my best friends on one hand and none of us are friends on Facebook and we don't even email each other. When we want to communicate, we give each other a phone call. Text messages are very rare as well.

Is this normal? Why?

If pageviews are consistently high, but registered users are not, is that bad? How much does it matter?

I know user data is good, but is it critical for investors? I want to understand what's critical and why.

Can someone suggest the most important/relevant stats of the following?

Registered Users, Visits, Pageviews, Pages/visit, Avg. Time on site, New Visitors.

Thanks!