What is the “Performance Model” at .mta? Simply put, you define your own salary. Sounds crazy and unreal, right? But it’s true. Let’s understand how it works in practice.
From the first PPC team to several specialized teams across different areas of expertise (like SEO, Web Development or Web Analytics) – there was always one idea, a framework that up to this day stands as “The Binder” of the organization: ”To work in a system that allows us to fairly divide revenue, costs, benefits and responsibilities.”
The value of entrepreneurship and flat structure means that there is no limit in the number of teams within the organization. But no matter how many, each one of them still needs to have the same Binder – to fairly divide revenue, costs, benefits and responsibilities.
Several rules make this system work:
Doesn’t it still sound crazy and kinda unreal? That’s why it needs a little more explaining.
The Performance Model is outstanding in a healthy market situation when money is flowing at an exceptional rate and everyone’s happy with their project portfolio. This is the perfect scenario. But it’s never the case for a longer time. That’s why we needed to come up with the answer for more troubling times – “The Minimum” salary.
The Minimum is a salary that you start with, and is a wage that should be enough for you to make a living in times of crisis. It may be due to the loss of a major project from your portfolio or due to the market situation in a country. Every one of us has our own definition of “crisis”. The Minimum is not supposed to be a desired salary for you. Quite the opposite – you should never be satisfied to earn that amount of money, because if you’re a member of .mta, you’re an ambitious person, right? Of course, you should earn enough to live comfortably every day. Performance is the cherry on top.
👉 The organization grants you the stability when it’s tough and the opportunity to earn exceptional money when the situation is healthy. That’s why the Performance Model is the “crème de la crème” of all benefits in .mta.
Well… it isn’t. At least not in any extreme way.
MTA is not built to make money for the owner. Or the CEO. Or any other “boss”, because there’s no such thing as a “boss”. It’s designed to grant fair division of revenue, costs, benefits, and responsibilities and such fairness will not be achieved in a corporate structure, where 10 junior members make money for 1 CEO.
It doesn’t mean that the organization is not making a profit and stands on the verge of survival. Every one of us needs to make an effort to earn enough revenue to cover their Minimum salary and make the Performance happen. Any other case means you simply don’t earn enough to cover your “existential” Minimum salary, which in the long term is not good for both the organization and yourself.
There is no catch. Besides the fact that it’s not that easy to earn a lot of money in this world. But you’re an entrepreneur, you already know that, right? 😉
Paulina Kwapisz – I’m all about people, always looking out for their well-being and the overall vibe at the office. While interested in psychology, I prefer fantasy novels over self-help books and value hands-on experience more than theoretical knowledge. Besides, I’m boosting my knowledge in employer branding and marketing. What I can’t stand are the sounds of cotton being torn apart, ugly and sloppy graphics and presentations. Which is why I’m often the one adding the final touches to them.
