Early-stage SaaS startup expecting “founder-level ownership” from BDRs without meaningful upside? Need honest opinions
I’m posting this because I genuinely want perspective from people working in SaaS/startups in India. I’m trying to understand whether my expectations are unrealistic, or whether I’ve slowly taken on much more responsibility than my compensation reflects.
I’m 22-23, based in Mumbai, and joined an early-stage SaaS startup around Aug 2025 as an intern. I later converted to full-time around Nov 2025 at ₹40k/month fixed. No commissions initially, no incentives, no ESOPs, etc.
And honestly, the environment itself isn’t bad overall.
The founders are relatively young themselves (late 20s), the culture isn’t toxic in the traditional corporate sense, and the startup atmosphere is generally energetic/flexible compared to rigid corporates. Which is partly why I stayed and took ownership seriously.
But over time, expectations have increased significantly.
My work currently includes:
- lead research
- ICP identification
- prospecting using Apollo
- outbound calling/emailing
- qualification
- scheduling demos
- CRM tracking (Zoho mostly)
- follow-ups
- post-demo nurturing/chasing till close
The founders usually handle the actual demos, but I’m heavily involved before and after the meetings, and sometimes during negotiations/follow-ups too.
The company sells SaaS/software subscriptions to brands on a recurring monthly basis. Clients typically pay anywhere between roughly ₹20k to ₹1L+ per month depending on brand size and requirements.
This is why I’m conflicted about the current compensation structure.
Because unlike one-time sales, this is recurring monthly SaaS revenue. One client alone can potentially generate several lakhs over time if retained long enough.
And currently, the company is heavily focused on revenue growth before future investor/funding rounds.
For context:
before aggressive outbound efforts, company revenue was reportedly around ₹2L/month even after a 2-3years.
Currently it’s reportedly around ₹5L/month and growing.
Again, I’m NOT saying I alone caused this growth. Founders close deals, product matters, and obviously many things contribute.
But at the same time, I do feel I’ve contributed meaningfully to pipeline generation and recent growth because:
- many newer accounts/leads were sourced or initiated through me
- I consistently generate among the highest meetings in the team
- some of the brands I brought in are recognizable consumer/quick-commerce brands and even legacy brands
- a large portion of recent client additions came through outbound efforts I handled or initiated
So mentally it creates this weird disconnect where:
the company wants founder-level ownership and hustle, but compensation/reward structures still feel very employee-level and static.
Official office timing is 10-6, six days a week including Saturdays. But increasingly, there’s expectation to:
- stay till 7-8 PM
- “take ownership”
- work with startup intensity
- push harder for revenue growth
- think like builders rather than employees
And honestly, I understand startup realities and investor/revenue pressure.
But I’m starting to feel disconnected from the upside.
One thing that’s especially bothering me is that there still isn’t any proper upward reward structure tied to:
- revenue growth
- company growth
- campaigns
- pipeline contribution
- performance improvement
- extra ownership
I honestly expected that in an early-stage startup, as revenue and pressure increased, there would eventually be some structure where stronger contribution would translate into proportionally stronger upside/rewards.
But till now, there hasn’t really been any meaningful structure around that.
No proper revenue-linked upside.
No milestone rewards.
No campaign-based bonuses.
No meaningful ownership incentives.
No scaling compensation structure aligned with company growth.
Recently they introduced an incentive structure:
₹1k per meeting AFTER crossing 25 meetings.
Meaning:
\- first 25 meetings = nothing
\- only after that, ₹1k per additional meeting
And these are outbound meetings, not inbound warm leads.
Honestly, the structure itself feels psychologically unmotivating.
Because outbound prospecting is mentally draining work:
- researching
- finding decision makers
- getting responses
- qualifying
- handling rejection
- following up repeatedly
- scheduling meetings
- nurturing till close
And despite increasing expectations, there’s still:
- no meaningful revenue-linked incentive
- no proper campaign rewards
- no milestone bonuses
- no structured upside tied to performance growth
One incident that affected me mentally recently was a Bangalore physical-meet campaign.
Founder was travelling to Bangalore for around 1.5 weeks, and the sales team (3 people including one co-founder) was asked to generate around 10 physical meetings each within a limited timeline.
There was no incentive/reward announced for the campaign.
No bonus.
No reward structure.
No upside.
The “motivation” said in the meeting was basically:
“Whoever gets the least meetings is gay.”
Honestly, that genuinely discouraged me and reduced my motivation toward the campaign because it made the effort feel undervalued and unserious despite the pressure and expectations attached to it.
Ironically, despite personal issues/leaves during that period and despite feeling demotivated, I still ended up generating the highest number of physical meetings in the team.
I got around 5-6 meetings.
The other BDR and co-founder got around 2 each.
And honestly, I know I could have performed even better if there was proper motivation, ownership, or reward alignment attached to the campaign.
So mentally I’m conflicted because:
- I genuinely appreciate the founders
- I’ve learned a lot here
- I understand startup struggles are real
- I know I’m still young and growing
But at the same time:
- expectations keep increasing
- ownership is expected emotionally
- hours extend beyond official timings
- six-day workweeks are normal
- pressure is rising
- but upside still feels weak and poorly structured
And in SaaS sales specifically, motivation and ownership are heavily tied to incentives.
So I wanted honest opinions from people in SaaS/startups:
- Is this compensation structure normal for an early-stage SaaS BDR in India?
- Is ₹1k/meeting after 25 meetings considered weak/fair/normal?
- How are SDR/BDR incentives usually structured in Indian SaaS startups?
- Am I undervaluing my contribution because I’m not the one giving demos?
- At what point does “startup ownership mindset” become under-compensated labor?
- Is six-day workweek + extended hours generally expected in startup SaaS sales at this pay level?
- Is it normal for startup sales teams to have almost no meaningful reward structure tied to campaigns/revenue growth?
Would genuinely appreciate honest opinions from founders, SDRs, AEs, startup employees, or anyone in B2B SaaS.
TL;DR: 22-23 y/o BDR at an early-stage SaaS startup in Mumbai earning ₹40k fixed while handling outbound prospecting, qualification, demo scheduling, follow-ups, and contributing heavily to pipeline growth. Company sells SaaS subscriptions worth ₹20k-₹1L+/month to brands, and revenue reportedly grew from ~₹2L/month to ~₹5L/month during aggressive outbound growth phase.
Despite increasing pressure, six-day workweeks, extended hours, and strong “ownership” expectations, there’s almost no meaningful reward structure tied to performance or revenue. Current incentive is only ₹1k per meeting after 25 outbound meetings. Trying to understand if this is normal SaaS startup culture in India or if I’m genuinely under-compensated.