Leaving you broke is the best way to go Jason. I walked away from a guaranteed paycheck job, weather I was there or not. I was in "business" for myself the very next day. That was a weird feeling going to a total different place the next day instead of where I had been going for 5 years.
Doing it the way I did it, if tomorrow I decide I want to pack it up and be done, I dont own anyone a dime. I can walk away.
If you get a loan and decide to use that loan to revamp a strip unit, if business is not good and you have to close it up, you still have that loan to take care of. (I think you'll do fine.)
I would go for a line of credit myself. I had an approved 30k line of credit I never used 4 years ago because I knew I would probably be unrealistic with it. Though, thats a very hard decision. I could have grown the hell out of my business. It would have allowed me to hire plenty of guys. Move locations way earlier. I could go on, Im sure you get the point. But it would have been some to owe money to. Ive hated that feeling my whole life so I never borrowed money. And that is what made my decision. A gut feeling.