Curious about side hustles around here.

[Clutt-225]

I’m late to the conversation but may I add my experience.
My wife was an insurance broker 15years ago.
I was a carpenter turned manager then back on tools.
Money was tight and kids were on the way. My wife left her job to raise Thing 1 and Thing 2 . Money was then real tight.
My father had retired to early (not by choice) from construction management.
I bought a truck and went out on my own/ with dad as a helper when needed.
Within a year I bought a work van and hired another carpenter and another helper.
Not knowing the books end I had hired out the book keeping and dad handled the management part time.
In the third year dad retired again and moved up north to Start a firewood business on hwy 28 near Bancroft not so good at retirement.
My wife learned the books and now handles that portion of my company.
I still have that first carpenter and now a second that we trained from no experience.
I probably average 3 to 4 days a week on tools in a year. Depending on weather I need to be selling / pricing or if I’m needed on site.
If I need to meet a client after hours I will but I try to shut down early on another day to make up for it. I use my father as an inspiration not a template.
He has the attitude “make hay while the sun shines”
I could work 7 days a week and not catch up and money isn’t everything.
Work/ Money/ Life. It’s a balancing act for sure
I love what I do and especially love the fact that my wife can work from home part time and focus on running the house. This set up gives me the freedom to use my weekend as relax, ride moto or mountain bikes, or play with the kids.
My days of working for a company for 40 to 60hrs a week and then finding side hustle projects are over and I don’t miss it at all.

 

[crankcall]

@Clutt-225, your timing could not be better. If your talented , punctual ( actually return a phone call) you can make a very nice living doing just what you have set up.
A have a few friends in the trades and they all have challenges getting and keeping staff , smart guys buy a truck and go make thier own fun. Good on you.

 

[mimico_polak]

@Clutt-225, your timing could not be better. If your talented , punctual ( actually return a phone call) you can make a very nice living doing just what you have set up.
A have a few friends in the trades and they all have challenges getting and keeping staff , smart guys buy a truck and go make thier own fun. Good on you.

Same for my buddys company. They learn the trade (granite installation), buy trucks, and venture out on their own. The older guys are more comfortable just going in and pulling hours, the more driven guys that I know have a good living working a third of the time compared to the guys still working for someone else.

Obvious downsides, like when my buddies were installing a fireplace stone and the last piece snapped. Instead of making $500/each that day they were $2500 down.