Hindsight is 20/20. For the first 18 months when I was workin for sweat equity, it turns out that, thus far, my time was worth $400 /hr then. If things continue to go well, it will have been worth even more. Also, equity is taxed at a much lower rate than salary, so when you include that consideration, it's even more. Of course, had we failed the equity would have been worth $0 :) ... So the question is like what's your time worth at the card table in Vegas? A Silly question without a crystal ball!