Quote Originally Posted by Bones View Post
my wife keeps saying to me to just work for yourself, at least i know you'd be getting good money for all this rubbish lol
Tell her shes wrong.
I make less self employed than I did as an employee, plus have to answer the phone 7am-7pm with general queries and not get paid for it. Not to mention all the 'free quotes' if quoting on install jobs (don't do much of them and I do charge for repair quotes). Plus people just not paying me, plus all the hours spent writing up quotes, answering emails and voice messages after hours.
I'm not on call 24/7 ever though as I just do mainly domestic a/c, some refrig but places not open after hours, there's some refrig business I look after because I've come across them and they have paid their bills. They will call in the evening and sometme on the w/e but not often.
I avoid general supermarket, deli, cafe and restuarant work though. Not 100% by lifestyle choice though, they are the typical places that don't pay anyway!

Just like big business, if you want to make money you have to have employees. If you want to work for yourself as a sole trader, it's more for the freedom and experience, not the money.