Many business owners feel the only way to monetize their decades of hard work building their businesses is to sell them. For some, selling the business may be the best way to create wealth, but for others, selling an income-producing asset for less than it’s worth is a bad idea.If you had an asset that paid a 33% annual return, would you sell it? Probably not-, but if you sell your business, that’s what you are doing. Most businesses sell for about three times annual earnings. You might be a much better investor than me, but that’s a tough return to get in the stock market.

So why would any business owner sell a 33% return asset only to switch it to a 5% return asset? Frustration! Stocks and bonds do not require putting up with the headaches of owning a business, so owners take a lousy deal like it’s an aspirin.

There is another way – Half-Retirement
We define Half-Retirement as working two half-days a week doing only the work you enjoy, offloading the work you don’t enjoy, and keeping your income in perpetuity. It takes some effort to get from where you are today to Half-Retired, but ask yourself, “If I could work only two half-days a week, would I sell the business?” If the answer is “no,” then consider Half-Retirement.

In order to Half-Retire, you will need to change the way your business is run. If you are like most business owners, you are a vital cog in the gears that run the business. You will need to slowly remove the businesses’ dependence upon your “work” and shift it to dependence upon your wisdom and expertise. This shift will require:

• A shift in your mindset from working-owner to equity-owner
• A shift from an owner-centric business to an employee-centric business
• A shift from people-based systems to operational systems
• A bullet-proof daily methodology to protect your money
• Your willingness to find enjoyment outside your business