When Vivek first reached out to me, he wasn’t looking to simply “get a better job.”
He was looking for alignment.
He came to me on a referral — connected by a prior client whose own story (and glowing words about working together) you can read on our testimonials page.
Like many of my clients, Vivek was deeply experienced, highly capable, and well-compensated. But he also had a nagging question: Is this the best use of my time, energy, and talent? And even more urgently — What would it take to get to the next level, with clarity and intention, not just a better title or a shinier company?
At the time, Vivek wasn’t even in full job search mode. But opportunity found him — and together, we got to work.
🎯 Strategic Preparation, Not Spray-and-Pray
We didn’t blast out resumes or chase every opening. We focused on:
- Clarifying his story and strengths
- Sharpening his communication strategy
- Practicing how to frame his value for high-level conversations
And when an offer came in, we got surgical.
Vivek had never actually run a structured negotiation before. In his own words, recorded mid-negotiation — before he knew how any of it would turn out:
“To be honest, I’ve never really methodically approached negotiations like this. It is always like, hey, here is what I expect, this is what we are offering, and then we try to push them or nudge them in one direction.”
He was candid about the uncertainty going in, too:
“Let’s see how it goes. This will be my first time using these tactics.”
💰 The Outcome: More Compensation, More Leverage
Using a negotiation framework we’d practiced together, Vivek went from an initial offer of $185,000 base salary to a total compensation package that included:
- $190,000 base salary
- $28,500 annual bonus (up from $10,000 previously)
- $35,000 in RSUs (now liquid, unlike the illiquid stock at his prior company)
That’s a 17% year-over-year increase in guaranteed cash compensation — and because his new RSUs are liquid (publicly-traded stock, vs. his prior company’s pre-IPO shares), his total accessible income rose by roughly $67,000 a year.
📈 What a $3,494 Investment Returned
Vivek’s total investment in this work was $3,494. On guaranteed cash compensation alone, that’s a 9x return in year one — and because the gain is recurring, not one-time, it keeps compounding. Over the 3–4 years Vivek expects to stay in this role, that same $3,494 investment works out to somewhere between 27x and 37x. That’s before counting the $67,000 a year in newly-liquid accessible income on top of it.
But here’s the best part: Vivek knew he could have pushed for more. Not because he left money on the table, but because he saw clearly — in hindsight — how better positioning, storytelling, and timing could make the next negotiation even stronger.
“I know I didn’t negotiate as strongly as I could have. I’ll do even better next time.”
🔭 This Isn’t the End of Vivek’s Story
The role he accepted — while smart and strategic — wasn’t the long-term destination he originally came to me to pursue.
He’s still actively exploring director- and product-level leadership roles, and now he’s doing it from a position of greater confidence, increased leverage, and financial momentum.
Sometimes the right next step isn’t the forever move. It’s a launchpad.
And Vivek’s just getting started.
Want to clarify your next strategic move — and get paid what you’re worth while you do it?
Let’s talk.
