Q: My profit margins are not as high as I would like, and I’m thinking of selling the business. How do I decide?

A: The decision to sell the business you built is never an easy one. You need to compare your profits to the money you could make if you pulled your equity out of the business and invested it somewhere else. If you’re not making more money from your business than you could from a more traditional investment, then you need to ask yourself why you’re in the business. You may have deep-seated personal reasons for holding on, but if you can’t increase your equity, you’ll never retire.

Consider independent guidance to help you sort out alternatives, including making the business more profitable, preparing the business for sale, or helping you identify a strategic alliance that could enhance the value of your business.