Should a buyer pay more for a building if selling it would mark the end of the owner’s business?

Michael, Salem, Ore.
Dear FSB: My parents have a small business and own the building in which it operates. The person next door would like to expand by buying my parents’ building, and keeps asking them for a price at which they would sell. My Dad would like to retire if they sold it, and would lose the income from the business. Two questions: Should the person pay a premium because he needs the building to expand? (Supply and demand, right?) And second, should the value of the business itself be added to the asking price, since he would be putting my Dad out of business?
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Dissolving business partnerships is more like divorce than divestment.

Mandy Hinrichsen, Drexel Hill, Pa.
My business partner and I are equal owners of a hair salon. We have a partnership agreement. I work hard and enjoy my job. My partner, on the other hand, is burnt out. She never shows up to work and when she does, she sits in the office on the phone handling personal business. I want to buy her out, but she refuses. What can I do? Read more…

A pressure-washing business owner checks with Ask FSB for advice on setting prices for a new line of services.

Sylvia Suter, Brookfield, Wis.
I own a pressure-washing company in the Milwaukee area. I’m interested in expanding my business to pressure wash outdoor business signs. I think signs would be a great niche for my business. The problem is: I have no idea what to charge per sign. Would the charge per sign be according to size? Thank you for any information.

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Patent protections can be essential - but they come at a steep cost.

Dean Brotherton, Milton, W.Va.
Is having a patent search done by an attorney the cheapest and most effective way to see if your product or idea holds enough merit to pursue? Read more…

The micro-finance industry is helping entrepreneurs bypass banks.

Jennifer, Kent, W.A.
Dear FSB: I have my own gift-basket business and a janitorial business that I run with my husband. We are having trouble securing business capital. Our business is an LLC and we have a tax ID number and a business account with deposits averaging at least $7,000 a month. We are in the process of repairing our credit due to fraudulent information. Where can we find and secure a business line of credit that doesn’t require a personal guarantee? Read more…

A small business owner wonders where his marketing strategy should go next.

Alex Diaz, Houston, Texas
I run a website design firm, www.toptechexperts.com. We offer a unique, affordable and complete website design package catered to small businesses. We want to grow and get more clients. My question: Should I invest more money in promotion and advertising, or hire some salespeople to reach out to new customers? I’m a great salesperson, but my time is limited, between designing and managing. Any advice? Read more…

A business “pre-nup” could have helped these squabbling partners resolve their differing visions for expansion.

William Taylor, Denver, Colo.
My partner and I are having disagreements on how we’d like to expand our business. We currently operate a small restaurant. My idea is to open more locations. To do so, we’d have to bring on additional partners in these new ventures, which would mean we would not have the same amount of company shares in the new location. Currently, I’m the majority shareholder with 55% in the company stock, to her 45%. I have offered her the opportunity to expand with me. She’s declined, saying she’d like to go out on her own, alone, and open another location with our current name. As a majority shareholder, can I protect the company name, and not allow her to operate a new location if I’m not involved? Read more…

Forming your own new entity is a better idea, the experts say.

Thomas
Dear FSB: I am looking to form an LLC on a new business with a group of partners. The S-Corp. is less expensive and less complicated and has deductions on personal taxes, but I was informed that an S-Corp must have all the corporate officers drawing a salary - and this is not applicable for a startup company. So, I recently found a colleague that has a dormant LLC that has never been used (he formed it and let it sit dormant because his business partners split up.) I am considering buying it for a greatly reduced price so he could recoup some of his costs, but wonder whether there are potential liabilities to be concerned about - even for a dormant NYC LLC. Am I correct in assuming that there could be potential hazards and liabilities involved - even if my colleague (who owns the dormant LLC) assures me it’s been sitting idle since inception? Read more…

Ask Fortune Small Business helps a serial business owner turn his enterprises into subsidiaries of one company.

David, Arlington, Texas
I have several startup businesses. I would like to form one umbrella entity and include them all as subsidiaries of this entity. What’s the easiest way to do this? Read more…

Monica and her partner want to grow their horse treat manufacturing and distribution business. Have you used outsourcing for your business? Would you recommend it?