If you ever try to sell your business, one of the first things a potential buyer will look at is your leadership team. Do you have real leaders working for you? Are they compensated the way real leaders would expect to be? Or does the entire company revolve around you? There is nothing wrong with being a one-man or one-woman show, but don't expect to sell your business for much if you are.

As Vic Haas, a business valuation expert in Philadelphia and President of Haas Business Valuation Services (www.haasvalue.com) says, "Business is all about minimizing risk and maximizing return. A buyer will pay more for a company and its income stream if the risk of losing that income in the future is reduced. A broad management team is one important way for a company to ensure future earnings and reduce risk for investors."

Potential buyers for your company are looking for a deep management team. As a result, hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars may rest on your ability to be a leader rather than a loaner in your business. Here are some steps to take to do just that:

Start planning right now. As Tom Raynor, CEO of Fleet Feet Inc. says, "The best time to plan your exit from your business is when you start it." Great businesses are built by people who understand the value of creating a business that runs without them and who are working a long-term plan to realize that value. This is not intuitive to many entrepreneurs but if you embrace it now, you will make yourself a lot of money.

Get honest about your own strengths and weaknesses. Early in your business development, you probably wore every hat in the business. However, no one is good at everything. You should increasingly focus your efforts on the areas where you create the most value. Ask people you trust who have no financial stake in your organization for feedback on this question. Good feedback here from people you respect is extremely valuable.