I worked 3 years at my last startup paying myself the absolute minimum possible. When the startup failed, this meant I didn't have any savings and immediately had to dive into consulting work. Part of the reason you take investors is to share the risk of the startup. In retrospect, I wish I'd paid myself more and hedged my bets a little better. Most startups fail leaving the founders burned out and broke. Now, I agree you shouldn't be making a fortune, but you don't want your personal finances to ever be a distraction from your business. You should be figuring out how to make your business successful, not worrying about finding money to eat or pay rent. You'll have plenty enough to stress over at work.