The real answer is that you don’t. However, there are some telltale signs that it is a better time than any other to finally part ways with your enterprise and, perhaps, start something new.

But what are they? What signs should you be looking out for on your journey to tell you that enough’s enough?

Here are 8 Signs It’s Time To sell a business

1. You’re Managing, Not Building

One of the signs that the time has come to sell a business is when you’re managing problems, not building solutions. When this happens, you’ve turned from a visionary into an operator, and you’re basically just working a job.

When you look at the best businesses, there’s a distinction between the owners and the managers. The owners are the people at the top giving the directions, and the managers are essentially the people doing all the operations. It’s the latter that should be controlling the business, not you.

If you notice that all you’re doing is solving problems, the chances are you’re a manager and not an owner. To reclaim your sovereignty, the best thing to do very often is simply to sell.

2. Your Key Employees Are Leaving

Another sign you’re in trouble is if your key employees have started leaving. When they exit, it is usually a sign that something is going wrong in the business or the industry as a whole and you need to get out fast.

Sometimes, cultural fatigue can also be a driver. Many workers suffer in silence for a long time, but they won’t usually suffer forever. When they’ve had enough, they’ll exit, and you’ll be left picking up the pieces and wondering what happened. If you see a pattern, take it as a sign that you need to sell.

3. You See Opportunities Elsewhere

You might also want to consider exiting a business if you see better opportunities elsewhere. Say, for example, you really got into social media marketing in the early 2010s. Back then, it was a real opportunity and a lot of entrepreneurs could see the writing on the wall and how big it was going to get. These days, however, the opportunity isn’t the same size. So many people have crowded into the marketplace.

Therefore, if you notice that you’re in an industry that’s stagnant or on the decline but see opportunities in a rising industry, like AI or biotech, then it might be worth taking the chance. If you don’t leap, you could wind up being left behind.

4. Your Health Is Suffering

Running a business can be great for your life as long as it doesn’t affect your health. However, if you’re finding yourself stressed out of your brain all the time to the point where you don’t know what to do, it could be a sign that you’re asking too much of yourself and need to take a step back. A lot of entrepreneurs continue working hard into their 40s and 50s, even though their bodies can’t really take it anymore. They need to take a rest, but they don’t.

In situations like these, especially when your health is on the line, it is often better to exit and take the money. It doesn’t mean you can never get back into the game ever again, but it does give your biology a chance to calm down and refresh.

5. Your Business Runs Without You

If you see that your business can run without you (an ideal situation), then the need for you to hang around is minimal. Once you’ve managed yourself out of the equation, you’re free to sell to a new owner — someone who wants to take profits.

The more you can get yourself out of the loop and the bigger the independent brand you can create, the better off you’ll be. Your business won’t be tied to you directly, but what it can produce for customers.

Remember, businesses are valuable when they don’t depend on you. Your job is to simply create the systems that the business needs to function optimally, and then let it go, like a paper boat on a lake.

6. You Achieved Your Financial Goals

If you achieved your financial goals and are happy with where you are, that’s also a sign that it might be time to sell. If it isn’t, you’ll want to reevaluate why you got into the business in the first place. A lot of entrepreneurs carry on longer than they should, simply because they’re chasing the next dollar, not realizing that they already got all the money they needed.

Of course, if your goals with your business are non-financial, there’s nothing wrong with continuing. In fact, the longer you persist, the better your business will often become and you may be able to change things in the world.

7. You Get A Lucrative Offer

Sometimes, venture capitalists and other investors will come to you directly with lucrative offers. Even if you had no intention to sell your business before, these can be tempting. Many will offer you payments that will set you up for life and allow you to do what you want with your time.

If you get an offer like this, think about the option value. You might not know what’s going to happen to your company in the future, or how technology might change it. Therefore, selling it now for a high price often makes a lot of sense, even if you think there’s a chance that it will go onto bigger successes in the future.

8. Your Industry Is Shifting Against You

Finally, it might be time to sell if your industry is shifting against you. If you’ve noticed trends are changing and things just don’t feel the same, then it could be a chance to get out. Technology, regulations, and consumer tastes can all undermine even the most fantastic businesses, leaving them without proper revenue streams.

So there you have it: some of the signs that it is time to exit your industry. Do any of these apply to you?