Salary Academy ·

Working materials for working professionals

Negotiate the raise
you deserve.

The prep an executive coach would walk you through, written so you can do it yourself. Book, workbook, scripts, calculators. Sized to fit a busy week.

From a 2025 field experiment with 3,100+ U.S. tech job seekers: 46% accepted the first offer. The ones who negotiated averaged $27,000 more. Cullen, Perez-Truglia & Pakzad-Hurson · UCLA Anderson Review

What you'll learn

Three things that move the number.

Most negotiations are decided before anyone sits down. These are the moves that decide which side of the spread you land on.

01

How to set the anchor

What number to give first, when to give it, and what to do when they ask before you're ready. The five framings that decide whether your number gets a yes, a counter, or a polite no.

02

What to say when they say no

Thirty conversation scripts for the specific moments that derail most negotiations: "the budget is fixed," "that's our final offer," "you'll need to decide today." Lines you can practice once and use for years.

03

How to compare offers without guessing

Base, bonus, signing, equity amortized over the cliff, healthcare delta, 401(k) match, PTO at your day rate. A 7-sheet calculator that shows the dollar gap between two offers in 10 minutes.

The materials

Seven pieces, each with a job.

Sized to be used during the week you're actually negotiating. The book runs an evening; the workbook fits a Sunday; the scripts stay open during the call.

How to use it

A workflow you can finish on a Sunday.

Three windows of time. One piece of the materials in each. No cohort, no homework, no 12-week program.

Sunday before the call

Fill out the workbook.

One hour. Seventy-six questions you should answer in writing before you pick up the phone: your floor, your ceiling, the exact number you'll counter with, what you'll do if they say no.

Uses: Workbook, Calculator.
During the call

Keep the scripts open.

Cheat sheets on one screen, scripts pack on another. You don't need to memorize anything. Pick the specific line you'll use and read it back when the moment arrives.

Uses: Scripts, Cheat Sheets.
All the months between

Log wins as they happen.

Three minutes a month in the tracker compounds into a written record of recognized impact. By review or interview time you don't rebuild from email. You copy from the file.

Uses: Achievement Tracker, Self-Assessment.

From the desk

I built this after watching too many friends and colleagues walk into salary conversations with no plan and walk out wondering why they didn't get more. The materials are what I wish they'd had on the Sunday before.

— B. Big, founder

Free starter

Try the questions before you try the materials.

The ten questions that trip people up most often in salary conversations: what's your number, what are you making now, why are you leaving. With the framing for each.

3-page PDF · free download

The 10 Hardest Questions They'll Ask You

Drop your email and the PDF lands in your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe in one click. Every paying customer started here.

Get the free PDF

Pick your starting point

Three ways in.

Pay once. Yours to keep. 30-day refund without question.

Starter

The book + cheat sheets

$27

For the person who wants the framework first and will decide on the rest later.

  • The Science of Salary Negotiation · 54 pp
  • Cheat Sheets · six one-pagers
  • 30-day refund
Get Starter — $27

Complete

+ the math and the diagnostic

$97

For the person comparing two offers or treating compensation as a multi-year discipline, not a one-shot.

  • Comp Comparison Calculator · 7 sheets
  • Achievement Tracker · 7 sheets
  • Self-Assessment · 18 pp · scored
  • Everything in Standard
  • 30-day refund
Get Complete — $97

Payments handled by Gumroad. If the materials don't help you, reply to your purchase email and I'll refund you. Files remain yours.

Latest writing

Notes from the work.

New essays on negotiation, prep, and the specific moves that move the number.

Coming soon

The first essays are in draft.

New writing on negotiation prep ships shortly. Subscribe via the free starter to be notified.

Before you buy

Common questions.

If yours isn't here, reply to any purchase email. I read them all.

What format are the files?

PDFs and Excel workbooks. PDFs read on any device. The workbook is form-fillable in Adobe Acrobat, Apple Preview, and most modern PDF readers. Excel files open cleanly in Excel, Numbers, and Google Sheets.

Who is this for?

US-based white-collar professionals with three to twelve years of experience: tech, finance, consulting, marketing, operations. The material assumes you're capable at your work and suspect you're underpaid for it.

Which tier should I pick?

If you have a conversation or review in front of you in the next few weeks: Standard. If you're comparing two offers, or you want tools for the long arc: Complete. Starter is the entry point if you'd rather read the book first.

How long does it take to work through?

The book in an evening. The workbook in about an hour the Sunday before a call. The scripts pack you keep open during the call. The calculator runs in 10 minutes per pair of offers.

Is there coaching or a community?

No. The materials are designed for solo use. If you want a one-question email exchange, reply to your purchase receipt. I answer every one.

Refund policy?

Thirty days, no questions asked. Reply to your purchase email and I'll refund you. The files remain yours either way.