If the stresses of being a small business owner are weighing on you, and someone has offered to purchase your business, you need to be 100 percent sure that you are ready to give up the burden, and that it makes financial sense. Just because you want to sell and retire, doesn't mean that you are ready to sell financially. Here are some of the things you want to look into, so you know if this is the right buyer, and if you are selling at the right time and at the right price.

Get an Evaluation

One of the first and most important things you will do is find out how much your business is worth. To do this, the valuation services team will look into the following:

• Assets
• Profits
• Profit projection
• Tools, building or materials

Once they have an idea of the total value of your business, you could come up with a number that you would think is an appropriate price tag for your business. There are professional companies that asses business values for a living. You can contact companies like Summit Business Valuation Associates for more information.

Figure Out Your Retirement Goals

You need to know what your retirement goals are, and where your portfolio stands, to know if you can get enough selling the business to retire and not have to stress about money. Talk with your financial advising professional to see what the projections of your portfolio are, along with how much more you need to make retirement a reality.

Draw Up a Contract

Talk with a lawyer about drawing up a contract for the purchase. If you own the property, you may want to sell the business but not the building, and then have the new owner lease the building from you. You may want stay on as a consultant if it's needed, with minimal time but a weekly paycheck. Work out the terms of the deal and have everything in writing.

If you weren't ready to sell your business, or weren't thinking about it, but someone has approached you so now you think you may be ready, you want to talk with the right business professionals to see what your options are, and to see what you could get for it. You want to make sure that you don't sell it for too little, and that you are in a place financially that it makes sense for you to retire and walk away from what you've built.