Honestly, I'm not sure this is the sub for this but I'm curious what other people will think.
For a little over a year I've been working at a small business, and I've been handling almost all of the day to day operations of the shop. It's mostly just been myself and the store owner, and he's very cool and has treated me fairly.
The problem is, the business itself still isn't wholly profitable. We have good months and bad months, and overall we've seen quite a bit of growth. But it's not enough to be currently sustainable (my boss is cutting into his savings), and I don't make very much.
Despite this, I've gotten two raises since I started working there. I still don't make nearly as much as most people with my degree, but my boss has made it clear that he understands that I want to make more money. I offered to handle some of his responsibilities in exchange for another raise, but he didn't go for it since he'd rather have a second employee handling that in the future.
Despite everything he's done, I'm still not happy with my wage and I don't have any other benefits. While I sympathize with his position, I've started applying to some other jobs in my area that pay significantly more and have full benefits. But if I leave I'm going to be very difficult to replace, and this owner has been very good to me. (He never gets on my case when I make mistakes, he lets me handle my work independently, never breathes down my neck, etc). I also do generally like working here. It's chill and I get to work with my hands.
Due to life circumstances, it's become clear to me that I could really use more money. It's not strictly necessary for my survival, but I would really like to have it. Obviously I will be giving my boss as much notice as possible if I do get a new job, but it still feels like I'm kinda screwing him over. Yet I need to focus on myself first, so I'm very conflicted.
What are your thoughts on the situation?
TLDR: My boss is good to me and does his best, but I work at a small business and could be making a lot more elsewhere.