The thing is, at that stage, do you really think anyone will abandon half a billion dollars just because they've already taken out 5 million? I wouldn't, at all.
If I cashed out a few million, what would I do with it? I'd pay my debts, buy a respectable place to live, eat healthy meals, buy a car, and buy generous gifts for all the people who've helped me along the way. Maybe most important, I'd show my friends and family I made the right decision.
But a few million is not nearly enough to buy everything I want, and there's no way I'm going to ditch such a high-potential project just for a quick payout. In fact, now that I've tasted wealth, it's more likely that I'll make sure I keep it.
The hungry founder fears staying hungry. The comfortable founder fears becoming a hungry founder and staying hungry - and I think the latter is a much more prominent fear.
If I cashed out a few million, what would I do with it? I'd pay my debts, buy a respectable place to live, eat healthy meals, buy a car, and buy generous gifts for all the people who've helped me along the way. Maybe most important, I'd show my friends and family I made the right decision.
But a few million is not nearly enough to buy everything I want, and there's no way I'm going to ditch such a high-potential project just for a quick payout. In fact, now that I've tasted wealth, it's more likely that I'll make sure I keep it.
The hungry founder fears staying hungry. The comfortable founder fears becoming a hungry founder and staying hungry - and I think the latter is a much more prominent fear.