> Also whenever the opposite side tells me a deal is good for me it is certainly self serving! That might be the case or not. Probably a reasonable first rule

> Also whenever the opposite side tells me a deal is good for me it is certainly self serving! That might be the case or not. Probably a reasonable first rule of thumb. But it might also be a good deal as labelled on the tin. For example, the CEO might be embarrassed of the risk the OP took for the company and wanted to pay him retrospectively for the work he (the CEO) has guesstimated the OP did. The software is IMHO unlikely to have much value in itself when nearly finished and without a organization to drive sales... Some people - me included - really like win-win negotiations/relationships and are not always profit maximizing.. In the end, it all depends on your counterparty and you.