Writing to get a little feed back.one man shows doing service calls and drain cleaning.Is it well worth it to go on your own,or work for a company. considering your company expenses versus your company benefits.I m still at crossroads .
If you desire is to be a one man shop doing service calls and drain cleaning, in my opinion it is not worth it. My reasoning:
1. Your compensation is limited to what you are able to do (for most this is less than what you would make working for a good company). Real money comes when you make money off of others.
2. Most one man shops don't have Workman's Comp. If you get hurt, you have no business and no income.
3. Start up costs, marketing, and complying with all reporting is expensive and takes time to recoup. And this is only if you are saavy enough to run a business. It is a big risk with no guarantee of a return.
Why do you want to go into business?
1. More money? If that is so, why are you worth more than what you are being paid? If you are really worth more and your boss doesn't see your value, take your skills down the road and sell them to a company willing to pay for them.
2. Don't like being told what to do by the boss? Definitely don't go into business for this reason. Now you may have one or two bosses. When you are on your own, every customer becomes your boss!
3. Freedom. Being a one man shop, you will need to respond to emergency calls. Without back-up, this means you virtually have no social life or you turn down a customer and lose that customer forever. Our first year, I remember just ordering at a restaurant and having the phone ring with an emergency call. Get the food to go and leave so my husband could take care of the call. We could have said no; however, when you don't know when the next call is coming in, you are hungry. So you respond to everything.
I'm not trying to discourage you, but there are a lot of skill sets needed to run a business. Top six things you need to run a business:
1. Capital
2. Marketing skills
3. Sales experience
4. Accounting experience
5. Customer service experience
6. Plumbing skills
Why did we go into business? My husband and I wanted to work together. Every company we have worked for, we rose to the top. It was never about a paycheck, it was the desire to succeed and be the best. We have always worked as if we owned the businesses we worked in. We took the problems home with us. Combined, we had all of the above skills and experience. It's been four years since we opened and I can tell you it has not been a cake walk. With our skills, both of us can work elsewhere for more money. But we are patient and we know one day we will make more than anyone would be willing to pay us. We are paying our dues and growing a business. The rewards will come.
