re: I'm tired of working for someone else.

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but handling stress is a weakness of mine.

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congrats for recognizing this.

given this weakness, you would be one miserable SOB as a business owner.

Owning a business is not the only way to a good retirement.

Most people lack the discipline, but I have a family member who worked an hourly pay job for his entire career. Pretty sure he never made more than 70k a year in his life. Had a family.
Retired at 60 with over 2 mil in assets. No inheritance or anything like that. Just lived way below his means all of his adult life. Never deprived himself to the extent of being uncomfortable. Just made choices like driving very reasonable vehicles (Toyota Camry's and such), didn't spoil his kids with the latest and greatest material crap at every turn, built a modest house and paid it off as fast as he could (about 8 or 9 years). Never piled up debt and invested every nickel he could along the way.

Prototypical "millionaire next door".

I was floored when he showed me his investment account a few years ago. I always figured he was sitting on a wad, but not to that extent.

I have learned more about finances from this guy who barely finished high school than all my grad and undergrad business classes combined.

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This is my biggest turnoff from being a business owner. My father was married to his company that he ran for 30+ years. In the end, the company closed and he continues to work weekly and on some weekends. He is my main motivation for not starting a business simply because I do not wish to work 50+ hours a week for 30+ years only for it to not equate to a comfortable retirement.

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No offense intended to your father, but did he not save his money responsibly? I understand that companies close, and that sucks, but was he not saving for retirement all those years? Owning your own company doesn't secure your retirement, far from it, just like working "for the man" doesn't preclude you from retiring.

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I find that the 40-45 hour work week and enjoying my free time provides plenty of wonderful comforts that I can live with.

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Again, no offense intended, but if you think you can really work only 40 hours a week these days and get anywhere substantial you've got another thing coming IMO. You do realize this means you could be in the office every morning at 7 and leave at 3:30? That's just ridiculous.

The one thing I stress in my career moreso than hours worked is flexibility and the ability to manage my own time. I have no problem working 60+ hours a week when something requires it, but I also don't want to get nagged for taking a halfday on a Friday. That's more rewarding than saying I work 45 hours a week max. Every article I've read says this type of management will only increase as the current workforce continues to evolve.

You said you're an engineer. Most every engineering company I've worked for has been pretty flex about hours. It was about getting the job done not punching a clock so to speak. Are you salary?

I know pretty much everyone will roll their eyes at this but I've known many people who left middle management office jobs or whatever to go into the service industry and love it. Some services there is lots of competition like landscaping, concrete curbing may be something to look at. Pressure washing to me is something that if what I do now doesn't hold up I would jump into in a heartbeat. Talked to a guy the other day who is a fireman with me and he makes a couple thousand a month pressure washing on his own, does it part time. I was telling him to go try dealerships and charge a few bucks per car to add to it.

I've read about dog pooper picker up services and have heard stories in big enough cities where people make good money. First time to come to your house or apt complex, motels, parks, public buildings, etc they charge a good bit to pick up poop. Then they come however many times a month and charge alot less to come. Elderly people like it also so they don't have to fool with it.

I love the auto glass industry with the exception of govt getting involved in it alot and insurance companies. I'm a one man show and do fairly well but still work at fire dept have my bosses up there. I hope to retire early from fire dept and just do auto glass. I've been there almost 10 years and can retire at 12 years but only like 46% of my highest 3 years. Still have a goal to try and make it to 15 years, honestly, I'm tired of working there. Been doing windshields for several years and love it though.

Again, I understand this is probably not the kinda advice you or anyone else was looking for, ya know, pooper picker upper and all. I guess I'm just saying think outside the box. I've known at least one doctor and a regional manager for Home Depot who left to be a one man show in the service industry like landscaping, pressure washing, etc.

Disclaimer: If you do auto glass, not necessarily for replacements since it takes so long and people don't frick with you. On crack repairs expect to have the whole family standing over you shoulder watching every move you make repairing it. It sucks at first but you get used to it. Rednecks think your a superhero, its crazy. Oh, another thing that hasn't happened yet but one day will, that I'm dreading, is for it to crack out when repairing it while customers are standing by watching. I worry about that everytime

Become a real estate agent, no overhead and great income

Mow lawns in the evening you can make 60 bucks an hour fig 3 hrs a day 5 days a week 900. Extra a week. automating billing be professional you speak English thats +1 get business up running then hire labor at 12-15 an hour your still taking in 675 a week. If you keep the 3 hr a day but u get an employee or 2 working 10 hours a day grossing 3000k a week. the lawn care business is a 70 billion dollar business annually that gets you cash flowing, equipment is not bad just take care of it & it will last it's something to think about. Plus the deductions are great

My family owns a business here in BR and the best advice i can give is to have an extremely understanding wife :) . Ours is in the service industry and we are the ones doing the work. It's 4 of us and we do the selling, performing the work, and the billing. Just be ready to have it take over your free time unless you want to grow it big enough that you hire someone else to do the day to day stuff.

Pros are you set your own schedule and the job security. And if you can keep the overhead low you can really turn some money out.

Cons are..you become married to your cell phone. You can't afford not to answer it. Also, our company has monthly/quarterly appointments so vacations become hard unless it's around a holiday weekend because if you take days off you are having to double up for a few weeks to catch up.

The biggest con for us is health insurance. All of us have always been on our spouses insurance, so you may want to look at how that will work.

Just be ready for the extra time. It better be something you are really in love with. A few months ago I turned down an operator's job to get away from it. Distance was the biggest reason to turn it down, but the thought of having a job where i could just have a set schedule, punch in/punch out (and make more in the long run) is extremely appealing.

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Mow lawns in the evening

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I cut grass on the side for an extra 10k/year cash. Hard to beat.

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What's the age difference between you and your boss.

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The dad is mostly retired and I work directly for the son who is about 5 years older than i am. And he has 2 sons. Buying it from him is probably out of the question. He has been throwing around the idea of expanding or selling an office but i don't expect him to move on that any time soon and I am just wasting away here.

Worked for others for many years. Enjoyed it until I didn't. Had enough money put away to hold me a couple years. Bought a service business, built it up, sold it. Married that business. Worked 360/365 days the first year. Damn near killed me but nearly doubled the business in 2 years, sold it.

Glad I did it but only because I am an adrenaline junkie. I liked the thrill and challenge. Left very lucrative job and career that would have set me up just fine. But I did enjoy "firing" obnoxious customers in my own business.