lovecraft68
Bad Doggie
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2009
- Posts
- 43,899
This may be a little bit of a rambling post, but I'm both excited and nervous about taking the first step in leaving my job and making a living off of e-book royalties and e-bay.
This decision has been months in the making. I have been at the same company for over 25 years. They pay me well and have always taken good care of their employees. I started as a17 year old working out of my neighbors garage with his two daughters, one of their boyfriends and another kid from the neighborhood, building custom cabinets.
That morphed into a large POP display company that has done quite well for itself and the owner has treated me like family, including giving me my job back after I went off the deep end and landed myself in the joint for almost 2 years.
A year ago the owner allowed another company to buy him out. He's still there, but is now a minority partner and is only their part time for something to do (he's 75)
The new owners have slowly destroyed the company, they have cut many positions and everyone is now doing three jobs, there have been no raises despite a record year last year and they treat people like dogs.
They tell people they are lucky to have a job. They tell people if you don;t get this done, you will be laid off etc... etc... the environment there is one of frustration and fear.
I have never nor will I ever live in fear. I will also never tolerate bullying behavior and people picking on those they perceive as weaker then them. I have fought them many times and with the help of the original owner, saved a few people's jobs and stopped them from doing some rather unethical things.
They have done everything they can to make my life miserable there and it's been a test of wills. They want me out, I refuse to give them the satisfaction. In the meantime my wife changed jobs and is making very good money. Better than that her own business has been growing as well.
Last month when I transferred the months e-bay sales into our savings and then my book royalties the wife pointed out I'm making as much on the net as my paycheck so.....why the hell am I still working at a place I hate?
because that is what I am conditioned to do. I've been working my ass off so since I was 16 and don't know how not to. I work 50 hours, list on e-bay a couple of hours a night and write about that much as well.
I have been making less on e-bay because I have been writing more. But the only thing stopping me from getting back or passing my best e-bay years is time.
I am now going to take that time. I went to the original owner and we both went to the new assholes and as of November 1st I am going part time. I am taking a pay-cut and taking over a position that is only 25 hours a week.
They're happy because they will hire my replacement at a fraction of my salary and I will most likely do a lot more than the previous person at the part time position did. I'll also no longer be management and out of their hair.
I also finagled that I can keep my medical benefits (the one thing my wife's job does not offer as its a small office) usually you have to work 30 hours to qualify, but they conceded the 5 hours to get me away from them.
But I don't like to take chances and as a back story a longtime friend of mine has a comic collection to die for. He has been offered as high as 75k from big time dealers, but doesn't need the money.
he has told me for years if I wanted it, its mine for a third of that. I estimate I can turn it into 6 figures over the span of a year. I wanted to buy it to guarantee my e-bay income for a long time without having to reinvest.
the wife disagreed, saying just keep the money etc.... so we compromised. Today he is on his way down with a friend and I am handing him a check for half, a dozen comics from my personal collection he has been coveting and the keys to my partially restored 69 fire-bird.
So now my plan is to be home by noon instead of five and to spend the first two hours a day home doing nothing but listing on e-bay and the rest of the time writing.
I have done surprisingly well on amazon over the last few months and all I need to do more is to have the time to consistently put up books. Even with my current schedule I have published 6 books a month the last two months. My goal is that by spring of next year I will not be working at all, everything will be from home.
So its exciting, but also not without risk. I will never be able to get my old position back and if I have to look for another job will end up making less than I was. There is also no guarantee my wife's personal business will continue to grow and at her main job part of her salary is commission so if her sales drop for some reason....
But 5 years ago she left a good paying job to work part time and go back to school full time to change careers and I worked full time, plus ran the store, plus did my own home e-bay to carry us during the time, so she says now its my turn.
Despite the risk I am excited, its a challenge to know its all in my hands, and also exciting to try to make a living doing things I love like writing and dealing in comics.
Time will tell if I can pull it off.
This decision has been months in the making. I have been at the same company for over 25 years. They pay me well and have always taken good care of their employees. I started as a17 year old working out of my neighbors garage with his two daughters, one of their boyfriends and another kid from the neighborhood, building custom cabinets.
That morphed into a large POP display company that has done quite well for itself and the owner has treated me like family, including giving me my job back after I went off the deep end and landed myself in the joint for almost 2 years.
A year ago the owner allowed another company to buy him out. He's still there, but is now a minority partner and is only their part time for something to do (he's 75)
The new owners have slowly destroyed the company, they have cut many positions and everyone is now doing three jobs, there have been no raises despite a record year last year and they treat people like dogs.
They tell people they are lucky to have a job. They tell people if you don;t get this done, you will be laid off etc... etc... the environment there is one of frustration and fear.
I have never nor will I ever live in fear. I will also never tolerate bullying behavior and people picking on those they perceive as weaker then them. I have fought them many times and with the help of the original owner, saved a few people's jobs and stopped them from doing some rather unethical things.
They have done everything they can to make my life miserable there and it's been a test of wills. They want me out, I refuse to give them the satisfaction. In the meantime my wife changed jobs and is making very good money. Better than that her own business has been growing as well.
Last month when I transferred the months e-bay sales into our savings and then my book royalties the wife pointed out I'm making as much on the net as my paycheck so.....why the hell am I still working at a place I hate?
because that is what I am conditioned to do. I've been working my ass off so since I was 16 and don't know how not to. I work 50 hours, list on e-bay a couple of hours a night and write about that much as well.
I have been making less on e-bay because I have been writing more. But the only thing stopping me from getting back or passing my best e-bay years is time.
I am now going to take that time. I went to the original owner and we both went to the new assholes and as of November 1st I am going part time. I am taking a pay-cut and taking over a position that is only 25 hours a week.
They're happy because they will hire my replacement at a fraction of my salary and I will most likely do a lot more than the previous person at the part time position did. I'll also no longer be management and out of their hair.
I also finagled that I can keep my medical benefits (the one thing my wife's job does not offer as its a small office) usually you have to work 30 hours to qualify, but they conceded the 5 hours to get me away from them.
But I don't like to take chances and as a back story a longtime friend of mine has a comic collection to die for. He has been offered as high as 75k from big time dealers, but doesn't need the money.
he has told me for years if I wanted it, its mine for a third of that. I estimate I can turn it into 6 figures over the span of a year. I wanted to buy it to guarantee my e-bay income for a long time without having to reinvest.
the wife disagreed, saying just keep the money etc.... so we compromised. Today he is on his way down with a friend and I am handing him a check for half, a dozen comics from my personal collection he has been coveting and the keys to my partially restored 69 fire-bird.
So now my plan is to be home by noon instead of five and to spend the first two hours a day home doing nothing but listing on e-bay and the rest of the time writing.
I have done surprisingly well on amazon over the last few months and all I need to do more is to have the time to consistently put up books. Even with my current schedule I have published 6 books a month the last two months. My goal is that by spring of next year I will not be working at all, everything will be from home.
So its exciting, but also not without risk. I will never be able to get my old position back and if I have to look for another job will end up making less than I was. There is also no guarantee my wife's personal business will continue to grow and at her main job part of her salary is commission so if her sales drop for some reason....
But 5 years ago she left a good paying job to work part time and go back to school full time to change careers and I worked full time, plus ran the store, plus did my own home e-bay to carry us during the time, so she says now its my turn.
Despite the risk I am excited, its a challenge to know its all in my hands, and also exciting to try to make a living doing things I love like writing and dealing in comics.
Time will tell if I can pull it off.
