Early funding and paying salaries vs expensing rent

Hi all. I'm looking for guidance.

When a startup receives pre-seed funding say 50k euro. The founders don't tend to take a salary but still need to conver rent/life.

What is the recommended approach here? Previously I set myself up as a sole trader and invoiced my old startup but ended up paying tax twice. Is there a different way? Can the company simply pay my rent/wifi/food directly? And what of early employees? I would like to share equity and cover their costs of living until we secure more customers/investment.

Thanks

Shane