In my previous job, I made the mistake of joining an early stage startup as a full time employee with almost the exact situation (experienced founder with "if I

In my previous job, I made the mistake of joining an early stage startup as a full time employee with almost the exact situation (experienced founder with "if I build it, they will come" syndrome). My advice is to pass on the opportunity from the technical implementation side and pitch some business consulting instead for a reduced or nonexistent fee. Then you can accomplish the following: 1) Help him out and not leave him completely hanging. 2) Remain engaged in case his business does take off and you gain enough confidence to take on some technical work. 3) Pass along the work to some contacts who might enjoy the technical work more than you would.