--- title: Why now is the time to start your equity journey description: Equity could be a real differentiator in helping our homegrown startups succeed. image: https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png --- [Skip to content](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/why-now-is-the-time-to-start-your-equity-journey#main-content) ☰ × - [About Us](https://equicraft.co/about-us) - [Services](https://equicraft.co/services) - [Blog](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog) - [Contact](https://equicraft.co/contact) - [About Us](https://equicraft.co/about-us) - [Services](https://equicraft.co/services) - [Blog](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog) - [Contact](https://equicraft.co/contact) [Get in touch](https://equicraft.co/contact) [![equicraft](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/EquiCraft_Logo.svg "equicraft")](https://equicraft.co/) [Get in touch](https://equicraft.co/contact) # Why now is the time to start your equity journey ![Rachel Westwell](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) ###### Rachel Westwell 12 Sep 2025 ● 2 min read ![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png) As the UK continues to strengthen its place on the global tech map, we see more founders looking to compete worldwide to secure great talent and equity could be a real differentiator in helping our homegrown startups succeed. Offering your team a slice of your company’s potential in the form of share options has become the benefit-of-choice in early stage startups. It enables new businesses protective with cash and unable to pay market rate salaries to attract the world-class talent they need by offering an alternative form of compensation. Before co-founding equiCraft this year, I spent the last six years heading up the legal team at Peak AI, one of Manchester’s fastest-growing scaleups and a key focus was managing the employee share option schemes through a period of rapid growth.  That experience taught me that if designed, implemented and managed well, equity schemes can be the company’s secret weapon to retain and incentivise the best talent as the company scales, with additional option awards being an efficient way to reward employees at key milestones in place of bonuses.  Not only do bonuses put pressure on the company’s cash-flow, share options can often be more attractive than bonuses to employees. Firstly, because the options can grow in value over time but moreover they are much more tax efficient when granted under an HMRC approved EMI scheme. Generally, share options are awarded according to a vesting schedule with employees being entitled to a part of their grant each year over a number of years. A typical schedule spreads over four years with the employee receiving a quarter of their grant each year for four years. This gives your team a great incentive to stay with you on the growth journey for longer – if they leave early, then they won’t receive the full value of their award. In a successful startup, that could be the difference between thousands and tens of thousands of pounds to the employee.  But share options aren’t just about hiring and retaining talent. We all want a satisfied, motivated and productive team and equity can play a significant part in garnering that commitment. While some shareholders may be wary about their stakes being diluted by employee shareholders, this is usually outweighed by the long-term benefits of having an engaged team who adopt an ownership mindset. With everyone aligned towards the same goal of success, ultimately all shareholders benefit as the value of everyone’s equity grows. Nurturing that team unity feels more important than ever right now as workforces become increasingly distributed geographically due to remote working. Whilst the US continues to lead the way in terms of equity scheme maturity, employee expectations around equity are growing in the UK. We’re keen to ensure that we can stand out in a competitive global talent market so that we can see our businesses thrive. Smart equity planning is critical. Done right, you will attract great people aligned with your mission. And it seems only fair then that those employees who took the risk and reduced income reap the rewards when the time comes to cash in. But until that day, you can enjoy the scaleup journey with a happy and strongly motivated team. ###### Share this post ![Rachel Westwell](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) ###### Rachel Westwell ## Essential Resources for Founders Unlock the secrets of equity management [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/equity-doesnt-run-itself) ##### [Equity doesn't run itself](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/equity-doesnt-run-itself) Your lawyers handed you a share option scheme. Nobody handed you a plan for running it. Every July, ... ![John Fraser](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **John Fraser** 25 Jun 2026 • 3 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-03-27%20at%2019.03.20.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/metomic) ##### [Metomic](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/metomic) From good to great in equity. Learn how Metomic elevated their share option programme with equiCraft... ![John Fraser](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **John Fraser** 27 Mar 2026 • 2 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/Sigma%20x%20eC%20for%20testimonial.jpg)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/sigma-labs) ##### [Sigma Labs](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/sigma-labs) A smarter way to manage share options The challenge As Sigma Labs scaled, the day-to-day management ... ![Rachel Westwell](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **Rachel Westwell** 27 Mar 2026 • 1 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-03-24%20at%2019.07.35-1.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/palindrome) ##### [Palindrome](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/palindrome) Learn how high-growth, tech startup Palindrome implemented their share option scheme with equiCraft ... ![John Fraser](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **John Fraser** 24 Mar 2026 • 2 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/emi-at-almost-30) ##### [EMI at (almost) 30](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/emi-at-almost-30) Since its introduction in the year 2000, the EMI scheme has been one of the most powerful and tax-ef... ![Rachel Westwell](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **Rachel Westwell** 05 Mar 2026 • 1 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/equity-office-hours) ##### [Equity Office Hours](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/equity-office-hours) Let’s talk equity. For free. Book a free 30 minute online session with the founders of equiCraft in ... ![John Fraser](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **John Fraser** 12 Feb 2026 • 2 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/employee-equity-just-got-a-serious-upgrade) ##### [Employee equity just got a serious upgrade](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/employee-equity-just-got-a-serious-upgrade) We’re now into December and we’ve all had some time to digest Rachel Reeves’ Autumn Budget. The over... ![Rachel Westwell](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **Rachel Westwell** 12 Dec 2025 • 2 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/we-need-to-talk-about-secondary-sales) ##### [We need to talk about secondary sales](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/we-need-to-talk-about-secondary-sales) What goes through the minds of most founders when they think about how they will finance the next bi... ![John Fraser](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **John Fraser** 07 Nov 2025 • 2 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/why-now-is-the-time-to-start-your-equity-journey) ##### [Why now is the time to start your equity journey](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/why-now-is-the-time-to-start-your-equity-journey) As the UK continues to strengthen its place on the global tech map, we see more founders looking to ... ![Rachel Westwell](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **Rachel Westwell** 12 Sep 2025 • 2 min read [![](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png)](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/why-we-have-built-equicraft) ##### [Why we have built equiCraft](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/why-we-have-built-equicraft) Who we are equiCraft isn’t a traditional advisor. We’ve worked in a high growth tech startup. We spe... ![John Fraser](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/author%20icon%201.png) **John Fraser** 31 Jul 2025 • 3 min read View all ![footerlefttop](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/footerlefttop.svg) ## Equity without the headaches Build your share option scheme and motivate your team. Start with a discovery call or fill out the contact form. [Talk to an equity expert](https://equicraft.co/contact) ![footerrightbot](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/footerrightbot.svg) [![equicraft](https://equicraft.co/hubfs/EquiCraft_Logo.svg "equicraft")](https://equicraft.co/) - Quick Links - [About](https://equicraft.co/about-us) - [Services](https://equicraft.co/services) - [Blog](https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog) - [Contact](https://equicraft.co/contact) - Follow Us - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/equicraft-hq/) equiCraft Limited • Registered in England & Wales 16269115 [Privacy Policy](https://equicraft.co/privacy-policy) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Rachel Westwell", "url" : "https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/author/rachel-westwell" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-12T12:00:38.264Z", "datePublished" : "2025-09-12T10:38:59.000Z", "headline" : "Why now is the time to start your equity journey", "image" : [ "https://equicraft.co/hubfs/why-equicraft%201.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://equicraft.co/equicraft-blog/why-now-is-the-time-to-start-your-equity-journey", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://equicraft.co/hubfs/EquiCraft_Logo.svg" } } } ```