re: Self employed folks-when did you decide to be your own boss?

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No need to

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..and it isn't illegal.

I've already received verbals from 4 others on this venture, as well. They all know it's a perfect opportunity. We are just waiting for the thumbs up to move forward.

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Good luck bro. Get it in writing.

Get everything in writing and trust no one.

In case you didnt hear me. Document everything

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I have a prelim contract written already.

I started out part time as an employee then moved up to become a partner working part time running the outdoor power equipment side of a hardware with lumber, nursery, and outdoor power equipment sales & service.

It was not as scary for me because I was close to retiring with my fulltime job. Having a retirement come in as a safety net was golden and inheriting a farm with land that was paid off helped.

Things just fell in place at the hardware store we got bigger and bigger, opened a few other locations, and never looked back.

Hardest thing I had to learn was to hand task out to the employees instead of trying to do everything.

I failed spectacularly . Absolute, utter Failure. Like point at me and say "what was that guy thinking" kind of failure.

A friend threw me a random bone and explained how to do something smarter and better. Being desperate and humbled I ran with it.

Now 8 years in I have the perfect professional life, no boss, take five weeks of vacation a year, and make more money that I ever thought possible. I make more a lot of days than most people make in a month. I'm the boss at what I do. Amongst the very best in my industry nation-wide. Not even going to pretend I'm not. But it came from the worst kind of "3 am vomiting, thinking about taking my car off a bridge to get my family the insurance money" kind of arse kicking. I got my arse KICKED. My success came from having no other option and absolute desperation and despair. It was not a plan. It was just opportunity meets uncanny aptitude meets no other options.

Decided not to work in the field that I went to school for-started doing something else and really paid off for me.

Hubby pays all the bills, so I didnt have to worry about any of that.

Tons of layoffs= foreclosures = lots of $$$$ for me

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I'd go into further detail, but the niche I would work in would be very lucrative and the operating cost would be minimal.

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you sell crack, don't you?

Been owning the company for 2 years, but been running it for 4 years (my dad had a stroke and I was too wet behind a the ears to take it over fresh out of school)

Best advice I can give is you have to spend money to make money. At first I thought this was bs, but learned the hard way it's the most reliable (just ask my PCP, chiropractic, and psychiatrist). Don't try and reinvent the wheel. Get some good advice and spend every waking moment building your team, they are your face and will be how you are perceived. As a business owner you are slave to your perception....

Not self employed technically but i definitely feel self employed in what I do.

Honestly I realized early on that i did not want to compete with anyone but myself for what I want in life.

If I don't meet my expectations, I have no one else but myself to blame.

That is what I love about it. I like the freedom and independence of it.

Corporate over-extended themselves and started scrambling, cutting payroll and eventually started selling the locations they bought in an attempt to spread their footprint.

I was given the key to the golden handcuffs at the age of 27. Been self-employed ever since. Helps that I was single at the time and willing to take risks.