[GrinningFool]

    > Since we haven't raised money and aren't planning on a
    > big exit, I want to continue to pay myself well through
    > distributions so that offers to buy the company continue
    > to be easy to decline.

That's my favorite line from the post. People in the middle stages of building a long-term business have this tendency to think it's somehow wrong to take some portion of the profit for yourself - most believe it should be reinvested or redistributed.

This doesn't take into account that claiming a portion as yours is an investment - it's an investment to secure your own continued long-term interest in the project.

Clearly you wouldn't do it to the point where the company is suffering - but to the point where maybe you're just not growing as fast? Or have to do to add some features? Often a worthwhile tradeoff.