When I was running my completely un-funded zero-revenue startup, college kids would daily send me emails <i>begging</i> me to give them a job doing non-technical BS work, often for free.<p>Fortunately a non-technical rockstar (who is willing to work for dirt cheap) is substantially easier to find a technical rockstar... I imagine now after "The Social Network" social media startups almost have an entertainment industry-like glamor at the moment, like breaking into the music business or movies. Non-technical people often will work for free or dirt cheap for <i>years</i> to 'make it' in these fields.<p>Milk it.
As a senior hustler myself (in the hard working, making deals way) I would suggest that they look at just hiring a part time bookkeeper and an office assistant. It would cost less, not dilute equity, and they wouldn't have a hustler doing bookkeeping. As someone who has had to fix bad bookkeeping, I can assure you it is something you want to avoid. You could think of bad bookkeeping like bad code - it can be 10x the work to fix it as it was to do in the first place. But with bookkeeping you usually can't just pull it off github and rewrite it. You have to fix live systems that change everyday.
Haha - it's funny how much startups are the same... We're doing the same thing and had the same (a non-engineer?!?) reservations. I must completely concur.