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Dive into a collection of past posts from the FNDN Series.

3 Steps for Building Exceptional Leadership on a ‘Zero Dollar’ L&D Budget

3 Steps for Building Exceptional Leadership on a ‘Zero Dollar’ L&D Budget

Where we cover how startups can build lightweight leadership, fast and for free. INSIDE: How to use the WAGOLL framework for clarifying excellence. Building a lightweight program, without dependency on the HR team. Integrating new managers into your program of excellence.

Jan 25, 2026

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11 min read

Entering Flow State

Entering Flow State

You've heard of it, but how do you actually *get* to it? Guest author Dave Murphy takes us through the practical steps you can take to kick 2026 off as your most productive self.

Jan 18, 2026

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12 min read

How to Build a Portfolio HR Career

How to Build a Portfolio HR Career

Services + Brand Partnerships + Coaching + Digital Products + Events. This was year I tried them all in a bid to build a portfolio career that will give me the time, place and financial freedom to do whatever I want in life. All in the launch of a new publication!

Jan 11, 2026

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35 min read

The Hardest Pay Conversations

The Hardest Pay Conversations

And how to actually have them. For those battling through the end of year, or upcoming pay review convo's, this chat is a must. A little wrap up of 2025 for the FNDN Series. PLUS: a sneak peak of something for the current, aspiring, or curious solopreneur.

Dec 21, 2025

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9 min read

The Breakdown: Christmas Edition

The Breakdown: Christmas Edition

Where we talk about the fabled Christmas bonus. Five experts from the People & Comp world weigh in on the role of Christmas bonuses in the modern organisation. So grab your festive food and drink of choice (for me it's a slice of Panettone and a gin & tonic) and enjoy.

Dec 14, 2025

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12 min read

When Budget's Tight, Get Personal

When Budget's Tight, Get Personal

How to design fair, flexible rewards when cash is tight. Why one-size-fits-all no longer works. Learn how Sarika Lamont builds custom compensation using real employee data, not guesses, so you can build trust, stay transparent and personalise without losing control.

Dec 7, 2025

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8 min read

How to Build a Headcount Plan That Actually Works

How to Build a Headcount Plan That Actually Works

A simple three step process. Starting with clarity. Look from the top down AND the bottom up. Then reconciling for best results. These steps plus HOW to actually do it, all from a 4x startup Head of People Ops.

Nov 30, 2025

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13 min read

When HR Becomes the AI Co‐Pilot

When HR Becomes the AI Co‐Pilot

AI isn't just tools. It's mindset, flow of work, and culture. Learn how the Chief People Officer at Vidyard cuts admin, builds trust, and drives adoption (without the overwhelm).

Nov 23, 2025

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9 min read

Future-proofing your Pay Practices

Future-proofing your Pay Practices

Will a 3.5% raise keep your team in 2026? Here’s what 243 companies say on that, plus: Job hugging, pay transparency, and more to help you prepare for the upcoming merit cycle. My friends at Pave are here to help you navigate the chaos of pay season.

Nov 16, 2025

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10 min read

The Wrap Up

The Wrap Up

Global companies soaking up APAC region talent. A new model for startup reward? Startup people teams working like solopreneurs. Exploring a model for AI adoption. PLUS the scariest chart in the world?

Nov 9, 2025

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9 min read

Building Your First Compensation Cycle: A Startup Roadmap That Works

Building Your First Compensation Cycle: A Startup Roadmap That Works

Exciting update for People people. PLUS: A tactical guide to running your first startup compensation cycle. We cover a foundation of clean data, merit matrices, band exceptions, and measuring whether your philosophy actually landed.

Nov 2, 2025

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9 min read

How to Become a Product-led People Team, Part 2

How to Become a Product-led People Team, Part 2

Monday.com's first Product Manager takes us beyond the hype of 'product-led thinking' and gaining buy-in. We explore how People teams can successfully embrace product management principles in the day to day. PLUS: how to know when it's successful (and how the business will know it)

Oct 26, 2025

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9 min read

How to Become a Product-led People Team, Part 1

How to Become a Product-led People Team, Part 1

Monday.com's first Product Manager on how People teams can use the best parts of product teams to future-proof the people experience. We dive into why taking a page out of the product team's book can unlock greater outputs and impact, and how to prepare for the shift.

Oct 19, 2025

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8 min read

Why You Shouldn’t Measure Compensation Effectiveness with Engagement Surveys

Why You Shouldn’t Measure Compensation Effectiveness with Engagement Surveys

Comp questions in engagement surveys create more problems than answers. We look at better ways to measure impact that ensures you know how comp is performing. Not just for your team, but for your business. PLUS: I'm in London for one night only. Come say hi.

Oct 12, 2025

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9 min read

The Wrap Up

The Wrap Up

The rise of 996(?). AI premium explosion. Grad roles down. A gentle reminder that money isn't everything. And are we done with LinkedIn yet?

Oct 5, 2025

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8 min read

Driving Exponential Impact from a Tight Comp Budget

Driving Exponential Impact from a Tight Comp Budget

Hear from veteran CPO, Andrew Bartlow, on why realistic distribution and ruthless differentiation are the levers every startup HR leader need to master. Plus a bonus tool from my latest AI exploits.

Sep 28, 2025

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9 min read

Stop Pay Chaos: 3 Mistakes Companies Make (and How to Fix Them Fast)

Stop Pay Chaos: 3 Mistakes Companies Make (and How to Fix Them Fast)

Meta's former Snr Compensation Manager runs us through some of the most common challenges undermining your pay practices. We'll explore three main scenarios, how to diagnose them, and how to fix them.

Sep 21, 2025

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10 min read

Why PE-backed startups are stealing your best people (and how they structure comp to do it)

Why PE-backed startups are stealing your best people (and how they structure comp to do it)

A veteran CPO reveals why private equity incentives outperform, and how Heads of People can borrow the playbook.

Sep 14, 2025

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9 min read

You've Got a Compensation Philosophy. Now What?

You've Got a Compensation Philosophy. Now What?

With 5x startup CPO, Vaso Parisinou

Sep 7, 2025

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9 min read

Your Compensation Philosophy Probably Sucks (Here’s Why)

Your Compensation Philosophy Probably Sucks (Here’s Why)

With Culture Amp's former VP of People Ops, Aubrey Blanche

Aug 31, 2025

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7 min read

Here's how often you should refresh your salary data

Here's how often you should refresh your salary data

The answer for 90% of cases.

Aug 24, 2025

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10 min read

Will AI Fix Compensation, or Just Make It Worse, Faster?

Will AI Fix Compensation, or Just Make It Worse, Faster?

With Culture Amp's former VP of People Ops, Aubrey Blanche

Aug 17, 2025

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7 min read

The Wrap Up

The Wrap Up

Everything you need to know from the past month

Aug 10, 2025

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9 min read

The Gender Pay Gap Isn’t What You Think It Is

The Gender Pay Gap Isn’t What You Think It Is

Understanding what pay gaps actually reveal

Aug 3, 2025

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5 min read

Don't Let Your Reward Strategy Kill Your Global Expansion

Don't Let Your Reward Strategy Kill Your Global Expansion

Featuring scale-up comp expert, Giac Soliman

Jul 27, 2025

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14 min read

Why Storytelling is the Key to Effective Compensation Strategy

Why Storytelling is the Key to Effective Compensation Strategy

How Mews' Naomi Trickey shifts from spreadsheets to compelling narratives that engage, empathise, and drive organisational buy-in.

Jul 20, 2025

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7 min read

The Wrap Up

The Wrap Up

The compensation news worth reading

Jul 13, 2025

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8 min read

When Your Compensation Breaks Under Growth

When Your Compensation Breaks Under Growth

In the journey from 600 to 1,300+ people.

Jul 6, 2025

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7 min read

What salary data should I buy?

What salary data should I buy?

Because getting it right could be make or break.

Jun 29, 2025

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11 min read

Budgeting for the Comp Cycle, with Melissa Theiss, Head of People Ops at Kit

Budgeting for the Comp Cycle, with Melissa Theiss, Head of People Ops at Kit

FNDN Series #14

Jun 22, 2025

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7 min read

Building a Pay-For-Performance Program

Building a Pay-For-Performance Program

What you need to know before you do it

Jun 15, 2025

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12 min read

Startup Bonuses — How & When? With Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit

Startup Bonuses — How & When? With Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit

FNDN Series #13

Jun 8, 2025

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6 min read

Designing a Liveable Salary

Designing a Liveable Salary

And why yours should be

Jun 1, 2025

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8 min read

Building a Job Structure that Scales with Your Company, with Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit

Building a Job Structure that Scales with Your Company, with Melissa Theiss, Head of People at Kit

FNDN Series #12

May 25, 2025

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7 min read

Avoiding Cookie-Cutter-Comp, with Melissa Theiss, Head of People Ops at Kit

Avoiding Cookie-Cutter-Comp, with Melissa Theiss, Head of People Ops at Kit

FNDN Series #11

May 11, 2025

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9 min read

The Truth About Startup Pay Transparency with Adam Horne, Co-Founder of Open Org

The Truth About Startup Pay Transparency with Adam Horne, Co-Founder of Open Org

FNDN Series #10

Apr 13, 2025

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10 min read

Compensation as a Product: The Startup Approach to Pay, with Jessica Zwaan, COO of Talentful

Compensation as a Product: The Startup Approach to Pay, with Jessica Zwaan, COO of Talentful

FNDN Series #9

Mar 9, 2025

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9 min read

Blitzscaling and the Evolution of Startup Compensation, with LinkedIn's First CHRO, Steve Cadigan

Blitzscaling and the Evolution of Startup Compensation, with LinkedIn's First CHRO, Steve Cadigan

FNDN Series #8

Feb 9, 2025

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10 min read

How to Become a HR Consultant

How to Become a HR Consultant

FNDN Series #7

Jan 12, 2025

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29 min read

From Zero to One in the Crypto Industry, with Head of People at Immutable, Ami Patel

From Zero to One in the Crypto Industry, with Head of People at Immutable, Ami Patel

FNDN Series #6

Dec 8, 2024

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7 min read

Future Proofed Equity with Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta

Future Proofed Equity with Peter Walker, Head of Insights at Carta

FNDN Series #5

Nov 10, 2024

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6 min read

Why Your Pay Practices are Failing with Mark Frein, COO at Oyster

Why Your Pay Practices are Failing with Mark Frein, COO at Oyster

FNDN Series #4

Oct 13, 2024

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8 min read

Unpacking Founder-led pay transparency with Paul Stovell, Founder of Octopus Deploy

Unpacking Founder-led pay transparency with Paul Stovell, Founder of Octopus Deploy

FNDN Series #3

Sep 8, 2024

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8 min read

The Startup Comp Playbook, with startup expert and Head of People at Airtree, Jess Blomfield

The Startup Comp Playbook, with startup expert and Head of People at Airtree, Jess Blomfield

FNDN Series #2

Aug 11, 2024

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7 min read

The official launch of our monthly startup comp digest

The official launch of our monthly startup comp digest

FNDN Series #1

Jul 14, 2024

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6 min read

How to create a job level framework

How to create a job level framework

A comprehensive guide on creating a job-level framework, offering step-by-step instructions on defining roles, arranging them, and grading them based on traits and seniority.

Jun 14, 2024

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11 min read

How to build and run compensation across 70 countries — Oyster case study

How to build and run compensation across 70 countries — Oyster case study

We delve into the journey of building and running compensation across 70 countries — at Oyster — a B2B SaaS company. We explore the challenges of determining fair compensation for a diverse global workforce. From establishing a compensation philosophy to creating artificial salary bands and implementing pay transparency, this case study offers valuable insights into navigating the complexities of global compensation.

Jun 14, 2024

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24 min read

Inflation should drive changes to minimum wage, not your employee’s salaries.

Inflation should drive changes to minimum wage, not your employee’s salaries.

When it comes to salary adjustments, it's reasonable to apply inflation-based increases when we're talking about things like the minimum wage, but companies must look beyond inflation and consider the job market for effective and fair compensation practices. This means aligning your salary with the market value of your skills and experience.

Jun 14, 2024

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13 min read

Internal Mobility Can Improve Your Company’s Financial Health, Too

Internal Mobility Can Improve Your Company’s Financial Health, Too

Internal mobility can improve your company's bottom line by more frequently correcting the cost of talent to their prevailing market rate. Internal mobility can prevent overpaying of talent, as well as the costs associated with underpaying talent through drops in productivity and attrition.

Jun 14, 2024

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11 min read

Global Pay Strategies: What to do When You Don’t Have Salary Data

Global Pay Strategies: What to do When You Don’t Have Salary Data

Explore the challenges faced by companies when hiring globally, and when adequate pay data is scarce. We discuss three approaches to determine pay in such situations and when each might be suitable.

Jun 14, 2024

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17 min read

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