How much can a one man show make?

The Office Business
102

In my area ( Alaska) this is also reasonable. And we take 3-4 months off.

103

I am looking to sub out some jobs to other companies. I have questions. Is there any way you can put me in contact with that person so I can pick their brain?

104

is that your take or gross sales?

105

spouse is one in the Lord, so yes solo, but you are now so-lo on the totem pole that your get all the crud work. My wife has the highest per hour job outside plastic surgeons, she just does not work many hours.

106

my thoughts lately have been akin to this story:
One day a fisherman was lying on a beautiful beach, with his fishing pole propped up in the sand and his solitary line cast out into the sparkling blue surf. He was enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun and the prospect of catching a fish.

About that time, a businessman came walking down the beach trying to relieve some of the stress of his workday. He noticed the fisherman sitting on the beach and decided to find out why this fisherman was fishing instead of working harder to make a living for himself and his family. “You aren’t going to catch many fish that way,” said the businessman. “You should be working rather than lying on the beach!”

The fisherman looked up at the businessman, smiled and replied, “And what will my reward be?”

“Well, you can get bigger nets and catch more fish!” was the businessman’s answer.

“And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman, still smiling.

The businessman replied, “You will make money and you’ll be able to buy a boat, which will then result in larger catches of fish!”

“And then what will my reward be?” asked the fisherman again.

The businessman was beginning to get a little irritated with the fisherman’s questions. “You can buy a bigger boat, and hire some people to work for you!” he said.

“And then what will my reward be?” repeated the fisherman.

The businessman was getting angry. “Don’t you understand? You can build up a fleet of fishing boats, sail all over the world, and let all your employees catch fish for you!”

Once again the fisherman asked, “And then what will my reward be?”

The businessman was red with rage and shouted at the fisherman, “Don’t you understand that you can become so rich that you will never have to work for your living again! You can spend all the rest of your days sitting on this beach, looking at the sunset. You won’t have a care in the world!”

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said, “And what do you think I’m doing right now?”

At what pint is “it” enough? can I manage to grow this job into a business that will allow my employees to meet their needs/goals and me have the life I want without the stress? I hope I am finding the rigtht gears and seeking the correct motivations.

4 Likes
107

great story

business is interesting, you need people, like equipment people need ongoing “maintenance” (commendation, training, goals, money, appreciation, perks, etc), “repairs” (discipline, attitude adjustments etc), and they “breakdown”, but they need even more than just “maintenance”

my point is who will take care of this for you? if you will, then youre not sitting on an island with a 4 hour workweek. to some this people stuff is fun, to others this is a nightmare or somewhere in between for most. but the less attention its given the more issues and turnover, the more attention, well, there’s the owner’s new job. if you want absentee ownership you’ll definitely need an office person and field manager, good ones will cost (who’s bringing in new work??). what happens when they leave? go on vacation? get sick? who will do their work? so you’re on the right track asking yourself what you want to deal with. I’ve heard it said the most leverage is having 1.5 times what you can handle, I now see the wisdom in that. Keep us posted as you find what best works for you

2 Likes
108

my go is not a 4 hr work week and my point in the story is finding what it is that you want and go for it NOT other peoples beliefs about what you should do.

109

For some of us that’s having 0 employees :wink:

7 Likes
110

I have to assume net income. $100-125k gross is not all that uncommon for a well oiled solo-operation, and reportedly there are a few out there who do much more than that.

3 Likes
111

I recently learned of one that was bought and the solo operator was doing close to 300k in windows, full time of course and a large affluent area

in some respects one has more latitude to experiment and keep pushing the limits when solo since the schedule becomes the marketable scarcity. if there’s no time in the schedule, one can afford to “not care” and throw out any price and keep going up, up up - it’s an interesting dynamic

7 Likes
112

I Cleared $146,000.00 Solo. Weekly you can make $3-4000.00 in my market.

1 Like
113

as you refine i bet you get upwards of 200k soon, affluent market. keeping windshield time low is probably more the challenge

114

I am in the mix with myself + 3 FT and 1 PT guy and want to streamline. I think 2 FT guys and cut out the extra stuff.
I think working 200 days a year (about the average in Las Vegas when taking out rain days and weekends) I can pull in $125-175k solo and $200-280

1 Like
115

$90k solo on my bike, 20 hours a week for 5 months of work during the year.

3 Likes
116

I don’t like you nearly as much as I did before reading this… :rofl:

1 Like