It depends why they're not taking a salary. If the owner is already loaded and doesn't need the money, that's fine. If they're having some cashflow issues but the pipeline is full and there's revenue coming, then that's probably OK. If the business is tanking and can't support a wage, obviously that's bad.
Exactly. This is an issue with non-profits as well. They delude themselves into thinking they're in decent financial shape, even though they have a managing director, often the founder, who's taking no salary, or a very reduced salary. Then that person moves on and--BAM--they're hit with market rates trying to replace them, and they're in trouble.
