Career Change?

[GregWeld]

So in order for this to work - and to support you for a LIVING (meager to start with) you might have to be working on 2 or 3 such projects... with 18 month build outs... and that's the hard part.

But if you start with ONE -- make a business out of it - do it right... have some luck - then next time you do TWO... get those done etc... then the following year you might be able to get a place on your own and do 3 investor projects plus a customer car... because once you showed off your skills with the investors cars - you might attract some CUSTOMER cars... Will this take some time? YEAH BUDDY -- but have a 5 year horizon... suffer some sleep deprivation -- have life get in the way... (bumps in the road) and maybe in 10 years you've achieved your dream.

The big deal is -- people never START on their dream - they just keep dreaming and the next thing you know - your 10 years have gone by and you've done ZIPPO... so quit dreaming and start WORKING toward that dream!!

By the way - this is all real easy for me to preach while I sit here in retirement... I don't have to actually do the suffering that will come with "my plan"... but I can try to inspire you.. and to get you to think in a way that perhaps you haven't before.

XOXO
Greg

[michael6372]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Michael.

Maybe it's time to go back to night school while you still have the opportunity and the job to support it. There must be something in the industry you're in - that could tie your current skills in with something say more high tech, if you had the training.

Living in Washington - we have many loggers - they have NO skills outside of whacking down trees.. or pulling green chain in a mill... the problem with that is that it's so single focus. No logging - no mill - no job. They all seem to go down together. What they needed to do was gain some additional skills while the logging was still booming (It's always been boom or bust here).

My Brother in law used to hump roofing... I told him that he needed to quit actually DOING the roofing - and start to contract that out - run the jobs - and take a percentage... to which he replied "I can't afford to do that"... I told him he couldn't afford NOT to do that... because it's one thing to hump roofing when you're in your 20's - but you're pay is limited by how many square you can do in a day... and how long your body will take the abuse. So after awhile he DID start to become a roofing contractor... then remodeler... then he got into commercial work. Now he builds MiniStorage units in 3 states... has many employees and even today his work is booming. I'll take no credit except to start him thinking that he must make the effort to "change" his situation. The rest was up to him.

There has to be something for everyone - that they love to do... and, that they can earn a living at. The key is to take the chance.

I tell my kids - "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans"... and it's so true. What I don't want them to do is to forget about making their plans - setting goals - and working towards them. It's not a straight line... never is...

What separates the 'broke / on a budget' but good race car driver from another one -- is that the good driver can win in a crappy car... and when he does that... the guys with good cars take notice and say - wow! If that guy can win driving that POS... imagine what he could do if he was driving for my race team. That's making your own "luck" - was he lucky - or did he push on despite all the hard work - working nights so he could race on Saturday... which finally got him noticed.

Now.... if I could just get my wife to take that 3rd job... I'd be all set!

Thanks for the reply! I have thought about school, the problem with that is I work swing shift. That makes going back to school impossible. I have tried to move to a different department in the mill so I can just work day shift but there are no openings. My company is trying to reduce the number of workers at our mill and our union contract expired about 16 months ago. If the company gets their way with the contract they are offering, they will be able to cut 20-25% of the workforce here(about 200-250 jobs). The town I live in has only 13,000 people and the job outlook here is very bad. There are alot of things I would love to do for a living. Living in such a small, older community makes it hard to start a business that will be successful. I have seen many people try to start a business here only to have it closed within a year, just not enough people to support it. Sorry for sounding so negative, just trying to give an idea what it's like here. I have thought about trying to start something online so location isn't a major factor to being successful. I do not have very much experience besides working on the family farm and the paper mill(I also filled oxygen cylinders for a medical co. for 5 yrs). Work ethic isn't a problem, I think my lack of experience and not having a degree is what's hurting me the most. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do and how did you get there? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Michael.

[GregWeld]

Okay --- I'll continue on my soap box for one last post...

To do what I'm saying -- might involve selling your house and living off the equity (becoming a renter during the build)... it might involve (if you're young) living in your parents basement for a year... it most likely WILL involve some sacrifice in order to get started. You MIGHT fail... You might use up all the equity you got when you sold your house - and the project doesn't get completed (because you're a lazy POS and don't have the skills you thought you had...) or the market for what you built just isn't there.... BUT at least you would have TRIED and would have LEARNED and would have given it your best shot.

Now -- Remember my buddy I told you about that worked his fingers to the bone with a restaurant and buying poopie little rental houses - and building on this and working for 20 years to get somewhere... here's his house - across Cozy Cove from from my house (old house - I SACRIFICED THIS HOUSE IN ORDER TO MOVE TO A PLACE WHERE I COULD HAVE A SHED FOR MY CARS -- which was more important to me - than to have this view...)

[awr68]

Greg, we should have coffee sometime....there's a lot I could learn!! <---coffee

Nice pic of your friends house!!

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by michael6372

Thanks for the reply! I have thought about school, the problem with that is I work swing shift. That makes going back to school impossible. I have tried to move to a different department in the mill so I can just work day shift but there are no openings. My company is trying to reduce the number of workers at our mill and our union contract expired about 16 months ago. If the company gets their way with the contract they are offering, they will be able to cut 20-25% of the workforce here(about 200-250 jobs). The town I live in has only 13,000 people and the job outlook here is very bad. There are alot of things I would love to do for a living. Living in such a small, older community makes it hard to start a business that will be successful. I have seen many people try to start a business here only to have it closed within a year, just not enough people to support it. Sorry for sounding so negative, just trying to give an idea what it's like here. I have thought about trying to start something online so location isn't a major factor to being successful. I do not have very much experience besides working on the family farm and the paper mill(I also filled oxygen cylinders for a medical co. for 5 yrs). Work ethic isn't a problem, I think my lack of experience and not having a degree is what's hurting me the most. If you don't mind me asking, what do you do and how did you get there? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!!

Michael.

Michael,

I retired at 40 - in order to stay home and raise my own kids rather than have them in daycare... I was a factory rep in the furniture biz (wholesale to the trade)... and traveled a 4 state area. My wife started to work for a startup company in 1984 for HALF the money she was used to, working for a big bank... The banks at that time were all having troubles. So she went to work at a small company (600 employees at the time) Microsoft (nobody had ever heard of them then!). I live in Bellevue, WA. When I quit working - there was a "promise" that MSFT might become something - and it was more important to us to have our kids have parents than it was for the parents to drive BMW's.... WE got real real lucky... it all worked out. But at the time the decisions were made - it was just "the right thing to do at that time". She traveled and worked about 80 hours a week... I traveled and was gone for trade shows etc... we enjoyed hall sex (pass each other in the hallway and say F U)... I'm very very lucky to live around other very successful people. I listen to their stories and learn from them. Not one of them ever dreamed to be where they are now. They all worked long and hard and suffered setbacks etc. But the difference in being successful and not - is that they were WILLING to put in the effort - whatever that is (and it's different for everyone). And not only were they willing - they DID. They're DOERS.. There's doers and there's dreamers... I'd prefer to hang with the doers... Sometimes the doers fail even after gaining success... but most of the time - they recover - because they're still doers...

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by awr68

Greg, we should have coffee sometime....there's a lot you could tech me!! <---coffee

Anthony --

We're having coffee right now buddy!

EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA

You have my email... I have the time... and am WILLING to help or to listen or to "whatever".

By the way -- I'm sorry to all for being on the soap box about all of this. It's easy for me because I'm damn fortunate... but if I can help to inspire someone - even just one of you - to DO better for yourself - then I'm happy. I'm NOT trying to say it's easy - or that anyone can do it... what I'm saying is that if you're willing to learn - and to try - and to ask for help when you need it - and to do whatever it takes without limits and without the "I can't do that" pre conditions. Then perhaps there is a chance.

Guess the old saying - "you'll never know until you try" kind of makes sense here huh?

[awr68]

Job Change? I think of this often! I am 38 and have been in construction for a very long time and it has taken a toll...but mostly I would like to be more 'successful' and that isn't going to happen being an hourly worker with no real benefits. I have worked for my uncle and now cousin for over 20 yrs...they do ok, but nobody is getting rich...especially in these times!

I get so worried about getting jobs done that I never think about what I would really like to be doing. I guess I fall under the 'hard worker' not 'dreamer' title.

Things that are holding me back:

Bills, Bills, Bills
Have no idea what I 'want' to do
Basic education
Scared to leave a job that 'pays the bills'
Scared to loose my house if it doesn't work out
But mostly I have no idea what I would 'like' to do

I know that I can't do my job forever...but sadly I'm having a real hard time taking that first step into something that might save my body and give my family a more financially secure life.

[awr68]

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Anthony --

We're having coffee right now buddy!

EEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAA

You have my email... I have the time... and am WILLING to help or to listen or to "whatever".

By the way -- I'm sorry to all for being on the soap box about all of this. It's easy for me because I'm damn fortunate... but if I can help to inspire someone - even just one of you - to DO better for yourself - then I'm happy. I'm NOT trying to say it's easy - or that anyone can do it... what I'm saying is that if you're willing to learn - and to try - and to ask for help when you need it - and to do whatever it takes without limits and without the "I can't do that" pre conditions. Then perhaps there is a chance.

Guess the old saying - "you'll never know until you try" kind of makes sense here huh?

Thanks Greg!!

[GregWeld]

Boy -- this is turning into a real thread jacker!

LOL

Anthony -- Not much point in "changing" something that is working for you... ESPECIALLY if you don't have a burning desire to do something "else".

I could turn this thread into a book....

Okay -- so you or anyone else that is okay doing what they are doing - but aren't where they want to be... need to think a bit outside the box. What if you became a Sub Contractor - rather then doing the actual work... or where you had some form of 'both' to get started - where you are a sub with your own employees (hourly workers) and worked for your cousin - AND some other builder... where you could pitch in and work - but maybe only work 6 hours a day - and then went to check on - run - and bid on - other jobs. You might have to do this in a different town - in order not to compete with your current situation... This might not be "profitable" until you reached a point where you can just bid and manage - rather than do any work...

No matter what - if you're paid an hourly wage to do a certain job - you're NEVER going to get 'ahead'. Whatever that 'ahead' is for you... because you have a finite amount of time per day and the job only pays "X".

Maybe that you - or anyone... when I use the "you" name - might be able to sell something on the side - on line - or as a rep on commission = to the trade that you're in. I actually inquired about buying a couple of Snap-on routes... I figured I'd buy the trucks and inventory - and let a couple of buddies drive them and do the work... But Snap-on only allows owners to work their routes -- so that was out... But I've bought air nailers and titanium hammers from a truck that came in the neighborhood to supply a house that was being built... the guy sold nails and ladders and carpenter stuff out of his van - ala a Snap-on guy. But it was his own deal not a franchise.

One guy I know went to school and got his real estate license... he doesn't cold call - he actually "supports" a larger broker in the area... he sits open houses on the weekends for her... and takes calls etc when she's gone or busy... she pays him to sit the house - and he gains experience etc while he learns and earns... if he gets someone from the open house - that wants to go see some other houses - that 'customer' becomes his.. and if he sells them something or lists there house - he pays a small percent to his "boss". This way he can keep his "day job" and still learn and build a new business.

I bought a NOS cowl hood from a guy off eBay. He was in the area so I picked it up... his house had Camaro parts in every possible place - including the living room... and he had a computer... he listed this stuff on eBay -- and boxed and shipped it himself... it took him awhile - but he told me that he was able to finally quit his job and do this full time. His house was his warehouse... so he had little overhead... he could work all night -- or all day - and as long as he had a computer - he could answer questions and follow bids etc. Was he getting rich - hell no! But he was doing what he liked - was his own boss - was home... and was happy as a clam.. so by that standard he was SUCCESSFUL. Success isn't always measured in $$ -- sometimes it's just living and doing what makes you happy. Like a priest... or a lawyer that helps indigent people pro bono...

[70rs]

Greg,
I appreciate all of your advice. Thank you.