It's OK to operate as a one-man shop - just don't expect to sell the business.
My March article "What's Wrong With This Ad?" generated quite a bit of calls and e-mails from readers who operate small shops. They recognized themselves as potentially being in the same dilemma as the contractor who was trying to sell a 30-year-old plumbing business for $30,000.
My message in the article was how sad it was for someone to work so hard for so long for so little reward in the end. Many of the people writing me wanted to know what they could do with their small businesses to make it saleable when they are ready to retire. My answer has two components.