Honestly, don't overcomplicate this or it could turn out for the worse. It's a small startup so I assume you know the owners, just sit down with them and ask how you can get onboard with some equity options. Most small startups would have considered equity options in their planning and you should get a simple response either way.
I've been on both sides of this situation and in my experience it's always better to be honest, open and direct.
Do it now, waiting will just decrease your upside if the company is growing already and there could be external timing constraints which may mean you miss a window of opportunity.
Just be prepared that you may not get the response you want, but you should definitely ask the question all the same.
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Honestly, don't overcomplicate this or it could turn out for the worse. It's a small startup so I assume you know the owners, just sit down with them and ask how you can get onboard with some equity options. Most small startups would have considered equity options in their planning and you should get a simple response either way. I've been on both sides of this situation and in my experience it's always better to be honest, open and direct. Do it now, waiting will just decrease your upside if the company is growing already and there could be external timing constraints which may mean you miss a window of opportunity. Just be prepared that you may not get the response you want, but you should definitely ask the question all the same.