The advice I have been given is that the founder salary should be market rate for skills/experience, but the actual check should be for bare living expenses. Ra

The advice I have been given is that the founder salary should be market rate for skills/experience, but the actual check should be for bare living expenses. Ramen profitable is when you have the cash flow to sustainably sign the checks; profitable is when you can pay your own salary with backpay. This way you spell out your commitment/opportunity costs for potential investors and yourself while keeping cash requirements limited. As I understand it, there are also some tax/legal issues regarding setting salaries since corporate profits and wages are taxed differently. This is what an accountant is for.