A business needs to have somebody at the ownership level thinking like an investor and somebody at the ownership level thinking like an operator. That could be 2 or more partners owning a business together. Or, it could be one Owner-Operator, who knows how to think like an investor. 

If, as an operator, you're putting in alot of effort and not getting very much of a return at all, consider if the business is worth it? Does it need to pivot into a different industry? Does it need to be shut down and the equity redeployed elsewhere? These are the sorts of questions an investor needs to answer.