Well guys it was two years ago I posted about quiting my 25 year career in corporate America and striking out on my own.  Thought you guys would enjoy update.

It was hard to make the decision to break the routine of working for others and what I now know was totally misguided concept of job security for in reality there never was any but you are only as good as the next time you piss the wrong person off.  To do this, I developed an attitude of I was looking for a job when I found that one and I was poor once and can be again.  I've kept this attitude over the last two years and it helps.

The things I have learned were numerous.

Fincially it's been a rollercoaster.  One day I feel I'm rich the next day I'm going broke. This is the stress of being self employed.  Still it's a mere pitence of stress compared to someone always looking over your back, second guessing what you do, and holding your life in his hand.  In hard times, it has helped to remember this.  All in all though, my bills have been paid on time and I have more money in the bank than I did before.

I know you have heard this a thousand times but I really thought I knew the burden of taxes but didn't until I had to write that damn quarterly check.  Watching your bank account climb like a rocket to only see it sink like a ship brings the whole concept of taxes home like a catcher spiking his counterpart in a baseball game.  

Working at home has its own set of issues.  Your boss is an slave driver for it's you.  The work is always there calling out to you like a siren in the Ocean.  Like a siren I learned if you listen to their song they will sink your ship.  You can only do so much work before you start spinning your wheels like bald tires on ice.  When you start typing things three times, it's time to quit.  

I miss the commute every day for it is quiet time and calming.  With my wife taking a job and going back to school and me working at home, I find myself taking on more of the domestic duties she once did.  Even though my work doesn't call for a separate office outside the home, I seriously am considering it anyway since it will have some advantages separating home from work.

Probably the biggest lesson I learned is medical insurance companies suck shit.  I have a pre-existing condition so like a good trusting sheep I followed the rules and milked my Cobra until finished, filled out my Hippa forms, and still the new insurance company refused to cover my pre-existing condition.  They literaly don't pay shit on almost nothing but sure like my monthly premiums.  I learned many doctors talk a good line of shit but that's all it is for when you offer them cash most still charge you the limit even though if the insurance covered it they would get only 60% of that and wait three months to get the money.  My wife has no insurance where she works and sees employees, unmarried with children, getting up to 8 free scripts a month, as many doctor visits as  they want, and even chiriopractors three times a week.  It is very frustrating.

When it's all said and done, I'm 1,000 times happier than two years ago for all the negatives put together doesn't equal one bad day working in corpoarate America.

There you go guys!

Tj

Quoted: What kind of business do you run?

Actually I started my carren in design engineering then almost by hapenstance went into sales.  After all those years and numerous moves from one state to another, I was VP of Sales & Marketing/Engineering with a major company that manufactured a extremely nicth OE engineered product that crosses about every industry.  I was tops in my field.  Sometimes your success is your downfall.  We did so well that we were bought out by a bigger company that chewed us up into pieces and shipped all the jobs overseas.  When the capital investors decided to run the business and started making decsions like chapter 11 to break the union which I new would just be the companies decline with no recovery for years, thentold if I work damn hard 24/7 all I would get was a pay cut, I got to do what everyone in corporate America would love to do.  

I told them to take this job and shove it!  They told me that if I competed they would sue me.  The look on their face when I told them I never signed a non-compete nor even a non-disclosure was priceless.  I didn't even have to look for work but just start taking the phone calls.  Not bragging but pushing my buttons and then letting me walk out the door was the stupidest thing that company ever did I have seen some stupid shit in my day.  

I hooked up with a company that owns a company in Poland.  We then got exclusives for the same products from two other companies in Poland.  I'm there national sales rep and application design consultant.  I have other reps that work for me in other parts the country and travel more that I care but then I always did.

Since we manufacture, stock, and deal in US dollars while enjoying the benifits of both Polish hard working educated but lower labor rates, I now have the all keys of success which I call PDQR, price, delivery, quality, and response.  It's great.

Tj

Quoted: Also curious what type of business you run, if nothing else atleast it is yours. As you know, it takes time for these things to mature. I wish you the best. ETA: taxes and insurance, the state you work in can effect this greatly.

What I do is above.

Where I live is TN.  Since there is virtualy no liability in what I do and looking at taxes as I set my company up, I chose to be a self properiatership.  In TN, that means no state income tax nor any special taxes.  

Heck I even used my name for the company and family crest for the logo so no one could sue me.  

Just in case though, I retain a legal service on a monthly premium.  Haven't used them much since I handled most of that stuff for the corporation I worked for anyway such as contracts and agreements.

Tj

Quoted: What is the product ?

Rather not say bud for if my competition is reading this forum they will know who I am and what I'm doing.  It is a real small nitch and everyone knows everyone.  Heck most of them worked for me.

Tj

TJ,

You may have already explored this, but see if putting your wife on the payrol will help your health insurance issues.  
My and my wifes health is very poor on paper.  I lost a kidney, the other one is so-so, high blood pressure, heart issues, etc.  My wife has issues with cronic woman-suff.  Generally speaking I don't think we are insurable for personal coverage.  We did however get insurance through the corporation as a "group" (2 or more employees is a group).  They basically give you a preset rate and can not adjust upward more than 80% based on pre-exsisting issues.  They do cover pre-exsisting conditions but there might be a waiting period.  For example, if you were uninsured for 6 months prior, then the waiting period would be 6 months.  I hope I expained this accurately and well.


Best of luck to you.  If you keep working for that "slave driver" you are bound to do well !