3 Ways to Determine Your Own Salary You probably didn't launch a business to make less money than you did at your last job. Here's how to answer the tricky question of cutting yourself a paycheck.

Jason Bussanich runs Westlake Chiropractic in Lake Oswego, Ore. His wife, Kyra, owns Crave Bake Shop, a popular gluten-free bakery. They work hard, and their businesses do well, but you wouldn't know it from their meager paychecks.

"For the first two years I ran the business, I didn't take a dime," Kyra says. "Even now I take just enough to pay my household bills." Her accountant says she could pay herself more, but Kyra would rather reinvest in her business.

Jason faces similar issues. "I feel guilty if I don't put money back into the business," he says. "I'm in my second year now, and I've been paying myself less than my employees so I could afford a recent remodel and new equipment."