Slamtex,
Sorry that I appeared to be flaming you. My words may have sounded more pointed than I intended.
The last 3 letters of my username stood for Powell Electrical Contractors at one time. That is from my Netscape e-mail address. Everyone has to decide on their own whether to work for the other guy all his life, be fully independent, or keep the job for security and have a business on the side for extra income and/or retirement. Not too many make the decision based on logic. That is not meant to insult anyone.
My decision to go into the electrical business was based on having years of experience in all aspects of industrial construction and maintenance. I had worked from helper,journeyman, supervisor, superintendant, estimator, field engineer and QC. I could see that being independent and making my own decisions would be more satisfying and profitable than being at the mercy of a heartless bossman making more than me from my labors. At least that was the logic that I used to justify going into business. The real reason I did it was I did not see any other way to become as financially comfortable as I wanted to and still be independent. I enjoyed coordinating jobs, helping my people put the jobs in, designing installations, working with good customers and seeing the work grow. Basically the things I enjoyed about the electrical trade. What I did not enjoy was the non-electric, non-labor side of owning a business. That is managing a business with the attitude that the business has to survive or everyone goes under. I left a growing business to pursue something else I enjoyed. Teaching people in the electrical trade. I was able to do it as a contractor, so I still had some independence. The real money was pretty much the same except I did not have to work every week and the end of a week teaching was pretty final. There was usually no problems you had to worry about over the weekend. Being an instructor led me to the job I have now. Pays good with good benefits but not so much security. I do power and grounding in the reliability department for an Internetworking company.
I'm glad I tried and glad I left. I really should have dropped the business 2 years sooner, as I was advised to do by a SCORE consultant.
You might contact SCORE. That is Service Corps Of Retired Executives.
http://www.score.org/ For free, thay will tell you what you need to know to be successful in a business, even a side business. I was told either to get investors so the business could grow at a rate that would ensure it could continue if times went sour, someone could be paid to manage the busines end and I could concentrate on what I knew and enjoyed OR get out. My money making potential was about equal in some other area that I really enjoyed so why stay in a business with its risks and stress.
I'm not bitter about working for someone else now. I do not resent not being my own boss. I actually am controlled less by my manager than I was by my customers and my coworkers have less demands on me than my employees did. Going through 5 years of running a business was just a part of the interesting road I travelled to get where I am now, like the road I am travelling now will get me somewhere else, probably even better. Does everyone else seem to have as many "learning curves" on their road through life as I have had?
