If I were you, I would stay at the factory until they throw you out. I also work in a area that doesn't require licensing (varies town by town though) and I can tell you that it is very tough to make a living when there are "handymen" working for $15 an hour and are installing 100-150 amp services for just over $500 complete. And all this is completely legal. The hourly rate that I would like to charge would get me thrown out of most places. With all sorts of businesses closing up around here, all the guys working in maintenance, etc are going out and starting their own businesses meaning the competition is fierce. This is only my first year on my own and the ONLY reason I'm making it is because I also have a stationary engineers license and a background is HVAC-R. Truth be told, I still would have been bankrupt if I hadn't made a killing on my last house when I sold it and have been able to live off the profits. I'm hoping to do the same with the house I bought recently and then get the hell out of dodge. Unlicensed areas bring the market value of your services down, like it or not, that's reality. I listen to some go on and on about not selling on price, etc, etc. I can tell ya, in lower income areas, talk is cheap, people around here only care about price and will hire Joe Blow handyman in a second to save a few bucks. If you do it, ya better have your networks already established with work waiting for you at a price that will allow you to stay in business. If not, you better have a lot of money in reserve because I would bet that you will need it. Just my 2 cents, let me know when you quit your job with a steady pay check and benefits, I'd love to apply.
