MaxwellM

I wanted to ask anyone that has been in a YC batch: What are the resources that PG recommends regarding sales/marketing and gaining initial traction?

I imagine that many talented, ambitious engineers and entrepreneurs on HN follow the lean method, but still frequently end up with a solid product that they need help growing. Technology doesn't sell itself, and sales can be extremely difficult for engineers. So what advice/resources does PG provide to help technical YC founders land big customers early and start out strong?

I was wondering if there are any companies that were hiring non software related engineers?

Are there any startups that are looking for Mechanical, Electrical or even Civil and Industrial Engineers? Or is HN not quite the platform for that?

Please forgive the implications of the title - I did not mean to imply that a developer or back end engineer is any less of an engineer.

I plan on quitting my engineering job to join a 2 person startup. Currently the startup doesnt make product - it generates $100,000 per year in software consulting and is growing at a rate of 15%. Eventually we hope to package and ship products from our consulting ventures.I will be quitting a 9 to 5 to work days/nights/weekends (basically full time, all the time), loosing dental/health insurance and 401k benefits.

Since I do not expect to get paid more than $33K per year, I need to figure out what equity compensation is reasonable. How should I go about figuring out what equity to negotiate?

I could estimate stock value using price to earnings, 10% equity for year one would then correspond to an additional $10,000 if my shares were to be bought out.Is this how I should go about thinking about this?