Tie a raise to what the business can carry, not to how long you have gone underpaid. A sensible trigger is when steady revenue or a fresh round means your salary is a small, predictable line that will not shorten runway in a way that scares you. Move toward a number that covers a normal life in your city rather than a lavish one, so you stop quietly subsidising the company from your savings. Talk to your co-founders, and to your board if you have raised, so the change is on the record rather than a secret. Step it up gradually instead of in one jump. Keep in mind that higher salary is taxed as income, and slabs and rules change, so confirm the take-home with a CA. The point is to make brave decisions from a place of stability, not to reward yourself.
A curated summary to orient you, not advice. The resources below are the real value.
2 hand-picked resources, 2 India-specific, 1 link-checked. Pick how you want to dig in.
Why we picked it The free, India-first grounding in what to do with cash once you have it: goals, allocation, SIPs, and not losing it to fees.
From Zerodha Varsity by Zerodha Varsity
Open zerodha.com →Why we picked it A no-nonsense, ad-light India personal-finance site: plain math and free calculators for emergency funds, goals, and asset allocation, with no product to sell you.
From Freefincal by M. Pattabiraman
Open freefincal.com →The same ground, over in Money, pricing & model, our Starting Up track.
