I have been at startups and established small firms with every thinkable permutation of pay, stock, and required hours. Frankly if you are at a point where you

I have been at startups and established small firms with every thinkable permutation of pay, stock, and required hours. Frankly if you are at a point where you are ready to hire people, a FAIR salary (not even thinking of future profits or the potential value of stock options) is the only arrangement that aligns your interests with that of your staff. Expecting people to work long hours routinely is a great recipe for failure, unless you are doing something totally uninspired and brainless to start with, in which case having zombies do the work is sure to work just as well.