In 1798 Sharp finally left the hatting business, which came to an end when the other partner, his stepfather Davis, died two years later. In response to an invitation from a friend, Samuel Boddington (another Dissenter), he now took up a partnership in the latter's West India merchant's firm. A third partner was Sir George Philips (later Sir George Philips). This new enterprise, with the potential for great profits, must have opened the door to the considerable wealth that Sharp was now able to accumulate. The move, however, would surely have tested the depth of his anti-slavery sympathies, as the entire West India trade was based on the use of plantation slaves.