due to the synergistic effect of teamwork. Table 2-2 summarizes the unique roles played by various individuals as members of successful teams in some well-known start-ups.

The new company's attitudes about how people will be treated begin to develop during the seed stage. One of the most important and visible of these attitudes involves the work ethic, as embodied in the firm's working hours. A start-up must strike an appropriate balance so that participants can have a life beyond the firm. The successful start-up is often staffed with twenty-five- to thirty-five-year-olds whose families, including young children, can't understand why they never see their parents. It is unreasonable to establish a company culture in which, from the outset, employees are routinely expected to work over eighty hours during six- or seven- day weeks. One reason why a firm should avoid overscheduling its employees is that it will have no slack-nothing to fall back on when the inevitable real crises arise. However, the main reason for avoiding overscheduling is that burnout can occur when employees work at such a pace for two to three years.

Hundred-hour weeks are inevitably required in even the best-managed start ups, but they should be the exceptions. In many new companies, staff members find themselves working at least part-time on Saturdays, and it is not uncommon to hear