COURSE 13 OF 23 | Early Team Incentives

Keeping Your Best People When You Cannot Outspend the Giants

What You Will Learn

1. Why salary alone cannot retain A-players — and the three-lever incentive system that can
2. The three equity instruments: Stock Options, RSUs, and Phantom Shares — in the MENA context
3. How vesting schedules and cliffs create the 'golden handcuffs' that make leaving financially painful
4. How to design performance bonuses that align individual behavior with company financial health
5. The non-financial incentive stack that makes A-players choose you over a 30% salary premium
6. Why equity refreshes are the most overlooked retention tool — and how to build them in
7. 4 AI prompts to design your equity package, structure performance bonuses, and build your Phantom Share plan