[palehose]

Not if there is no investment and no one is getting paid anything yet.

[nostromo]

Not true. If you work for yourself and you're losing money and you get polled by the CPS, you would rightly report that you are self-employed, and you would be counted as working.

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cps_htgm.htm

It doesn't matter if there are investors or a profit.