In a software startup, how can we deal with the main developers/programmers of the company who are good at design and communication, and also have entrepreneurial skills?
How do we get them work for us and avoid any kind of competition from them to our business?
How can we convince the lead programmer that our startup is the place for him?
I would adopt the strategy of taking the best programmers, the entrepreneurial, super-effective stars and giving them an entrepreneurial-level stake in the business. That engineer is much more likely to put all his or her energy into making your business a huge success if it means that they, too, will be huge successes. That's going to dramatically cut back on the likelihood of that person defecting from your company.
If the guy is the lead developer, why not make him a partner? I mean he is doing most of the work. Failing that offer incentives to keep the guy there rather than make him think he's wasting his time/talent when he could "beat you at your own game" instead. If you offer him tangible benefits he won't think that.
I'm not a fan of them, but non-compete clauses are one way to do this.
A better way is to find incentives that keep your people happy. Those incentives are not always money; autonomy and the ability to make your own decisions about your work details is the most important one to me. Treat your people well, and they will treat you well.
Everyone wants the benefits of owning their own business, but few want the responsibility.
Lots of cash, and make sure that as a good manager you handle anything he doesn't want to deal with. Specifically, if you ask him to do something and he says he doesn't want to, then say ok and get someone else to do it. If you think that's primadonna/cowboy/immature behavior, you'll be right, and you'll also be looking for someone else to replace him when he leaves.
The top-notch developer is in high demand so you need to be extra nice to him. Imagine you just hired Tom Hanks to work on your movie, and you're going to make $500,000,000, so if Tom Hanks wants a bottle of french sparkling water, you're gonna jump and go get it for him. Treat your developer like that, and he'll want to work for you.
If you don't want to do that, you've condemned yourself to making B movies and software.
If you see these people as both a software developer and a sales developer, you should give them the opportunity to make a good salary and have equity in your company. Going on their own is a risk that you can help them avoid.
Those that are really good programmers with no apptitude or interest for sales or understanding of your domain, I'd call their bluff. Nothing better than a competitor that doesn't know what they're doing.
