Yes, sometimes you sell your expertise and experience, with vague goals, or no goals, and no defined deliverables. I call that consulting, and would negotiate a

Yes, sometimes you sell your expertise and experience, with vague goals, or no goals, and no defined deliverables. I call that consulting, and would negotiate a retainer rather than hourly billing. But sometimes you have to go with hourly. Some customers don't have the internal organization or focus to work out anything better than that. Because it comes up with startups specifically, I wouldn't accept equity in lieu of pay. If you strongly believe in the startup and the possibility of success, that might make sense, but as a gamble rather than a predictable income.