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Andrew Waitman, CEO of Pythian Group Inc., says that paying out for top talent can help companies expand. "If you can’t afford [top hires], you stay stalled in a mom and pop business," he says.

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Andrew Waitman is the CEO of Pythian Group Inc., a data base administration company based in Ottawa.PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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Pythian represents the new generations of new companies of small businesses that goes global immediately, says Mr. Waitman.PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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More than 70 per cent of the company's 200+ employees work in 22 countries.PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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In its first 10 years, Pythian was innovative and had a respectable 15 per cent growth a year. But a conflict between founders over the future of the company eventually hit a critical juncture.PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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There’s a point in the growth of a startup where the management responsibilities reach the limit of the person or partners who founded it, Mr. Waitman says in Wallace Immen's article for It Starts with One.PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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Mr. Waitman calls it "the million dollar paradox."PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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In Canada, significant growth also often means expanding into larger markets, like the United States or Europe, which requires experience and skills the entrepreneur isn’t likely to have.PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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"At some point you need an experienced executive and several other key staff who can cost you a total of about $1-million in compensation. If you can’t afford them, you stay stalled in a mom and pop business," he says.PATRICK DOYLE/The Globe and Mail

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