Self-Employed Life

Soooo,  Indiana has this going on right now



 

 

If I didn't know any better I'd think it was freakin January. Danny has been out plowing since 1:30 this morning and its now after 8:30. He's planning on coming home to take a nap and then go back out because this snow dump ISN'T OVER! We've heard a few more inches before its all said and done. Ugh.

 

On to the point of this post. I got up around 6:30 this morning to see what the damage was and it was still coming down. I reset my alarm for 7:30 because I didn't want to sleep in too much and not be able to go to bed tonight then be exhausted tomorrow. I'm a creature of habit. While I was in the shower and getting ready for work I started thinking to myself... "This self-employed gig isn't too bad." Thats a far cry from what I was thinking about it 2 months ago when it all about came crashing down when our employees quit and were telling us they were gonna gut the business. Then I was thinking, "F this shit, I want a boss, a cubicle and an entry level position" Well, now that I'm on the other side of the hell that my brother and I went through, I wouldn't trade being self-employed for anything in the world.  Yes, being self-employed means EVERYTHING is your responsibility from managing finances all the way down to cleaning the toilets. It has its perks though.

 

You make the calls - I've seen all over Facebook and Twitter this morning that people can't believe they still have to go to work. It is dangerous out there. The roads are bad and some people act like they've never seen snow so they don't know how to drive. Me? I woke up, looked out the window, then texted my brother and said, we're on a 2 hour delay. That was that.

 

Flexibility - Tomorrow I'm taking the day off to go run some errands and go with Danny to the doctor. By errands I mean spending my lovely morning at the BMV since the plates on our trailer expired at the end of February and neither of us have changed the address on our licenses since we moved... in November. That doesn't mean my phone won't ring during any of this or that I won't have to go into work tomorrow evening. Part of it.

 

When there are kids - I can only recall ONE event that my dad missed because of work in the 20 years that I knew him and that was moving me into my college dorm. I'm still not convinced the old man had a meeting. I think he was just trying to get out of it because he knew I lived on the second floor... from the TOP. Anyways. If my kids have a school program in the middle of the day, sporting event, doctors appt, or I just want to spend time with them, I can do that. I've told Danny I can be a Half-Ass Housewife/Stay at Home Mom.

 

Vacation/Sick Days - There are none. Yes, this goes along with flexibility, but I'm refering to the vacation part. Last August when we went on a cruise, I was on the phone while I was enjoying trip #1 to the free buffet. The alarm company was calling to tell me the battery was low on the system. I was on the freaking BOAT and talking to the alarm company. My response? I'm in Tampa, I don't care for the next 6 days, call me September 1st. The day we got back? One of the rentals that we have was being remodeled and some hoodrat broke in, cut some wires and stole tools. I was back on land for less than 24 hours and was dealing with the police. It happens. But, the perk? There is no hoping your request gets approved, worry that you'll run out of sick days, or the boss getting mad.

 

I've only been self-employed for 2 years, so I'm sure my opinion is likely to change and the perks are also likely to shift. What I do know is most 23 year olds shouldn't allowed to have this much responsibility, flexibility or authority. There are some days, like when I get my hair done at 11 am on a Tuesday, where I shouldn't, but then I remember that if you work hard you CAN reward yourself.