I don't if its me or what every morning I call in the for the past two weeks almost three the darn boss says I don't have calls for you. Everything was going fine till he hired the new hacks. Then to top it off he some times decides to call me later and send me on calls when I get there and ask the cust when they called in they say yesterday or way earlier in the day or even a couple of days prior. The this boss said it was time for a raise last summer and haven't seen one. And when he was short handed because a bunch of techs left he had me on " help bail teh company out mission". Ive been there almost two yrs but I'm fed up.I will honestly say he did give me 3/4 of my monthly wages for a bonus. Sometimes I wonder if I should just say forget working for others and work for my self. I have over a yrs worth of wages and everything I own is paid off for. I also have alot of service tools. Basically everything in the bosses truck is mine except the parts, ext ladder, recovery ,machine/tanks. Even the stepladder is mine. The only thing that deters me from going out on my own is what if I can't find customers. To make things even better with this joker boss employees are not supposed to do side jobs, and I don't I even have people asking me heck someone asked me yesterday which if I did the boss will never find out about . Hows a guy supposed to make a living. Since Iv'e been getting shafted maybe I will go do this side job LOL.
Self employed is two skillsets... Technical skills AND Business skills. Most small businesses fail because the owner does not have business skills.
Being debt free is a HUGE plus if you are thinking seriously about self employment.
If it were me, I would hang on long enough to take some business courses and figure out how to 'run a business'. And a side note: Whatever the busy season is where you are... get all the $$$ you can from your current boss until just before busy season starts... then go it on your own.
When you go out on your own... think sales! You can get the work done... bet without sales there is not any work to do...
Customers are hard to find in this economy. I don't understand some companies pay structure, some of it seems fishy. If your not happy I suggest you start passing out resumes. Keep what you have until you find something else. Maybe ask to be laid off, it might pay more.
Try to stay positive, everbody is hurting in this recession. Dont forget that your boss did give you 3/4 of your pay for a bonus. He wasnt required to do that, and dont come to expect those types of bonuses either. The guy is probably doing everything he can to just keep you employed.
You need more than just customers. You need money to live on and pay personal and business expenses. There are alot more expenses than most people know of. That is if you plan to be licensed, insured and do payroll and operate as a legitimate business.
Try and stay positive, you are in a lot better shape than most. This economic downturn is ugly. I was off for 5 weeks last year and it is tough for someone who has been working 40 to 55 hour weeks since they were 18. Ring any bells? Heating and cooling is a lot more seasonal than refrigeration and that's just the way it is. I could go back to Major Appliances or fast food Refrigeration but I don't want to. I like commercial Hvac and it sounds to me that you like what you do. So hang in there we are rooting for you.
I do com HVAC but my bread and butter at this shop is reasurants and other odd refer work also alot of ice machines, yeah maybe I should chill out and give it a few days. But that oil company work does sound interesting, heck for something that unique I'd be willing to relocate even at my expense.
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Originally Posted by BaldLoonie
