anyone successfully escape the 9 to 5 life?
 

anyone successfully escape the 9 to 5 life office drone life for something else? this could mean switching to a drastically different career that went well, starting a business that took off, etc. just looking for stories from people's own experiences :)

Escape it? Took me 30 years to obtain it! Not giving it up for anything.


People that change to a drastically different career have to start at the bottom and work their way up again. Often resulting in being the 9 to 5 drone only doing different work.
People that succeed at their own business generally have to work 9 to 9 or more. There is no get rich quick business that succeeds without massive hours put into it. Being your own boss usually means that you work for a jerk that expects 110% all the time.

I have to agree with Tcoat, I work a weird shift from Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and sometimes Saturday as well from 10 AM to 9PM. I'd kill to be able to go to work and leave after only 8 hours on normal work days.

Escaped it 25 years ago. I work a 7 to 4.

After a few years... Some assets start looking like liabilities.




Even if you start a successful business, it can run it's course after a decade or two. Working for yourself is great, but you only have yourself to blame when something goes wrong. Oh yeah, and no health insurance. I get the days off I ask for though...

You can have health insurance in your own business. It just costs a lot. Escape 9 to 5 by making your own business and working 24/7, but then if you're good, you can retire earlier. Every year I cut back the number of hours I teach, and every year I spend more time managing the business. I was up until 2 last night getting a schedule ready. But... I have money.

I had an uncle work a 3 day work week in the tech field working 12 hours a day, but that's the only real escape I've ever seen.

Unless you are really good at sales then you can go sell houses and make your own hours.

Every other 'escape' means you work harder and longer hours.

Yes, I now work 8-4:30 M-F and love it.

People see the end result of successful small businesses. They do not see the time, money, or blood sweat and tears that went into getting that business to where it is profitable and you can relax. I do not envy anybody that takes on their own business but I do admire them if they can make it work!

True. "a lot" = 10% of my income.

I did, got old and retired. Now there is no start or stop, just keep working.

what type of business?

I guess you read a lot about people who make ecommerce businesses (SaaS, dropshipping, amazon private labeling, freelancing etc etc) work with very flexible and reduced schedules, but hard to hear those stories firsthand as they are rarer.

Tutoring.

Anyone ever sell cars on the side? I remember this one Youtuber (stradman) who had a lambo at 26 years old saying that is how he made the monthly payments. buying cars off craigslist, cleaning them up and marketing them better, then selling them back on craigslist for more.

My brother got out of the 8-5 architecture thing and bought a Market/Store. Now he works 80 hours a week and we never get to do the things we used to do together.
8-5 can be a drag sometimes, but I'm salary and can come and go as I please. more or less. In reality I rarely do 40 hrs. I Get health ins, bennies, 5 weeks vaca. Hard to beat sometimes

I also help run a Animal Shelter at board level (volunteer) so I'm ducking out for a few hours here and there during the day, upon occasion.
fortunately the Owners are very supportive.


But I often wish I could drop the 8-5 thing too. The tech world is burning me out.
but retirements not far off.....

Not going to say it is impossible but it certainly is improbable. If this was a viable way to make money then every used car dealer in the country would be a multi millionaire. They aren't.
If it seems too easy to be real it probably is. Skip the get rich quick schemes. They usually end up costing you more money than you save.


https://media3.giphy.com/media/xT5LM...NrI4/giphy.gif

Yes, I did - I retired - :D

Regardless of what career path you choose, if you are married and have a family, I strongly recommend that either you or your spouse, maintain a steady (read 8-5) job to somewhat stabilize your income stream.


humfrz

Yea I have been good about avoiding get rich schemes. I have put a lot of effort into different ecommerce things, but figure with the amount of effort I am putting into moving things that make me maybe $5-$10 sale I might as well put that same effort into things that make $500-$1000 / sale (what I have heard is the margin for cars bought at auction that sell retail in the $4,000-$6,000 range)

this is the plan my wife and I have if I can figure out something viable to try that makes real progress - she would be the steady income.

Any profit you can make moving a car for $500 - $1,000 margin can be eaten up in just one bad buy. You get one you can't move for a few months or one that sucks up too much money in repairs and the profit is gone. Think it trough. If a car is worth $1,000 more just because you cleaned it up a bit why didn't it sell at the lower price and somebody just clean it up? Flipping cars can be a loss in a hurry. Used car dealerships go out of business every day because somebody thought that it would be an easy way to make money.

I think it takes a certain personality to be an entrepreneur/business owner. I'm a better employee than my own boss, so I like the M-F, 5am-2:30pm routine I've had for the past 26 years. I show up to work, do my work, have a 401k, pension, health benefits, and don't have to worry about drumming up business. Less stress for me than if I were out on my own. My wife is a consultant, and only brings in what she goes after. A lot more flexibility in schedule, but can also be more stressful.

6:30 to 3:30 crew checking in. Cutting down trees, paid hourly. Mon-sat. Go on vaca whenever! Last year went dirtbiking in Greece for a week for the hell of it. Wouldn't change a thing. Single life baby! \m/

I usually work 7-3:30. But most days i am in early and out late. Does that count?

I used to flip craigslist cars on the side. I would go through the 5 I can legally title a year without being a dealer. It's kinda fun when all you do is fix some minor thing, detail and flip it for 500 but they aren't all that way and people are incredibly annoying to deal with. I couldn't imagine doing it full time. Don't forget, its the boring sedans and crossovers that make the money. Not fun cars. Lesson learned.

I should clarify the $500-$1,000 margin I heard from someone who has a auction license - so they buy cars at auction then sell. I don't think they do much in the way of repairs.

The craigslist buy/clean/sell I don't know what the margin is supposed to be there.

Yea Maryland only lets you do 3 a year without being a registered dealer

I've never had a structured job. Started a business at 16 and never looked back. There are always pro's and con's with your own business however I could never see myself taking orders from someone else. The corporate world just seems so soul destroying.

Normal working day for me 07:30 to 15:30, field tech. But right now I’m in charge of a certain place that I can go in whenever I want. As long as I log my 8 hours in that day. Usually try to start my day before 0700. I like it though, won’t be here forever but the freedom is nice, basically my own boss. Don’t have to work with anyone but myself and that’s my dream job lol. Oh well, I’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

I was in the aerospace industry for awhile, pretty standard 8 hour days, and I got paid for OT when it was available, but it was a job. Got into the racing industry, I work 9-10 hours a day, with no paid OT, and I'm a lot happier.

https://www.brainyquote.com/photos_t...nknown1-2x.jpg

So, you don't have clients or customers?

Married? If so, in denial?

:iono:


:D


humfrz

My clients listen to my experienced words. My wife and I are on the same plane.
Anything else?

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WPzFnZkZmI[/ame]

Out of curiosity, what kind of business are you in?


humfrz

And are you hiring?

Out of curiosity of coarse

I build homes for people with waayyyy too much money. No employees

I spent 10 years working for a small(sub 30 people) employee owned company. We built gokarts, bumper boats, and batting cages for the amusement industry. We also purchased a leaf spring manufacturing company at the end of 2017. I was management and a fiduciary of the company. I got tired of the crazy hours, tons of personal liability, and ridiculous amount of stress. The company president and I had blow out arguments about once a months since he worked from 1pm-6pm and had no idea what went on during the day and I worked from daylight to dark covering many aspects of the company. I escaped to a regular 9-5 as a field service tech. I mostly work by myself. I can make my own hours as long as I am getting my jobs done in a timely manner and putting in 8 a day. It was a pay cut but I am much happier.

I wish i had a 9-5 job.
im currently doing 3am to 3pm if im lucky 3 am to 1:30pm
not to mention the OT i get weekly (another 2-4 hours)

Yup.

Normal people just don't understand how hard business owners really work. My dad has always owned his own business doing taxes. He has worked 18 hours days Jan through April, and still works ridiculous hours the rest of the year. He keeps trying to get me to work for him with the money he earns, but sorry, nothing is worth destroying your life over. He single handedly made me never ever want to own my own business.

That is my dream. Unfortunately there isn't a racing industry where I currently live. My wife and I are moving to NC in a year or two and I will be searching for something automotive related. Can't wait. I would take a pay cut to work in the racing industry (what I love) no questions asked.

This thread is very telling about the demographics of this car. I notice a distinctive lack of people from the labor sector stating they want "better" jobs here. No truck drivers, garbage men, ditch diggers, factory workers, janitors, farm workers, etc. buy this car? Is it just IT, engineers, or other tech types that buy it? Do the people complaining about their jobs not understand that they hold somebody else's dream position that in simply not attainable?
Sure it is wonderful to dream about the perfect job for you and it is great to strive for it but for most those dream jobs will just never ever come around. Even when they do you may find that your dream job all of a sudden just turns into a job once you have it so you need to be careful what you ask for.