been a carpenter for 10 years, no employees, also done like shane is thinking about, worked alot of 3rd shift jobs for extra $ and insurance. business is so slow, i haven't worked in a month. never been licensed or bonded, just sorta stayed under the radar.

We have two. Pay for our roof over our heads, and the ex-wife's over hers. :P

I have three separate businesses, and my wife has her own. I love the work, but the boss is a real jerk.

I've owned a landscaping business for the past 3 years and just branched out doing nuisance wildlife control. My company deals in landscape maintenance and installations, irrigation install and repair, water feature/ Koi Ponds, seasonal decorations (Halloween, Thankdgiving, Christmas, Easter ect.), fertilizer/weedcontrol/lawn pest control applications, as well as NWCO work that I am just getting off the ground. One part time employee and my dog is full time (she helps me on mole and vole jobs, and I can bring her to any house and she will find what I am looking for before I do when it comes to critters either inside or outside).

Very expensive to get started. I bought an existing business that came with a contract. The equipment bought new is outrageous, used is a little better but hard to find anything that hasnt been trashed. If employees had to pay for repairs they would sure take better care of stuff.

my job is coon control!!!
IW440

I was a self employed lineman for years. I would hire a local helper wherever I was. It got so being a small fish in a big pond I just couldn't make it anymore. Now I am a Registered Nurse in a hospital in mid Indiana. I miss working outside....I miss traveling.... but now my kids eat steady. I enjoy my work and when the kids grow up I'll be able to take temp assignments in far off places.....wouldn't trade my career now for nothing.... I only work three days a week... lots more time for trapping and hunting.

Artist, trapper, hunting guide, 29 years now. Trapper for 35.

I retired a few days ago. I don't think I'm going to like it!

Started my painting biz about 5&1/2 years ago. Had one employee for 3 years but haven't had to hire another since he left, work is too slow.

My parents were in business for 32 years, then retired. I went to college and was in a whole other profession. I left that profession for 10 years and left it to take over their business. 4 years of education shot to [Please excuse my language... I'm an idiot]! I have 14 employees.
I built a few subway franchises for a few years, but hated it and sold everything. Now back to the family business.
Insurance is a killer, though, as you guys know. My wife is a teacher, so she gets the insurance for the family. In the last 10 months, I ran a stick back through my eye and had to have emergency surgery at 2 a.m. 5 weeks later I shattered my knee. A few months later, my wife got breast cancer and had to to have several surgeries. Can you imagine going through all of that as a self employed person with no insurance???? We'd have lost everything.
Take care everybody. be careful out there.

I’ve have gotten to sorry to work for anyone else.

I trap full time and in my spare time I do computer repair, websites, security systems, and networking wiring. No Employees.

Ran my own tree service business for 3 1/2 years. Got tired of paying my own insurance and retirement so I went back into the water treatment field. Also have a deer processing business on the side.

I had a fence building and light hauling and clearing business for seven years. I started it when I was still working construction, doing it on the weekends. It started with a lawn service business, started doing fence and making more money, finally said the heck with the paving job, and went out on my own. I was 25, did without benefits to make more money, worked my butt of 7 days a week until hunting season started, and wasted most of my money I made! I started working for the state in 2006, maintaining their cattle, and I am glad I took that job when I did. I bought a new work truck in Jan. of 08, had one big fence job right after I got it, then the work dried up with our real estate bust. Now I get to spend alot more time with my son and doing other things I enjoy.

I am the wife and I run a concession stand I average about what I make working full time which I also do the wife has also started a business importing and selling jewelry

I have been self employed finishing drywall for 23 years and my wife has been working with me for 15 years.

The hubbie is dairy farmer, teat squeezer as he calls it. We have one guy that we hire every few months to do one or two milkings so we can get off the farm, but can't afford to hire him much more than that. I don't think I can count the cows as employees, but they do much of the work. Everybody works on the farm. Even our son who is 7 drove the tractor for his picking up hay this year. He can't reach the pedals so my husband set the speed and just taught him how to turn. I drive 2 hours a day back and forth to the daily job so we have a steady income and benifits.

tell her to get a JOB!!!!

i have a 9-5 job and also run a business that i employ between 5-8 people.
the biggest benefits working a straight 9-5 job are matching 401k, health ins. paid holidays/vacation and a paycheck for showing up.
the benefits of owning your own business can be the challenges you face, i enjoy being able to be help some folks with income, if you don't like what is going on you have the authority to change it and being directly involved in the community.

Self employed for over 25 yrs. No other job except taxidermy for 22 yrs (Ihad a beaver removal contract with the county rd. comm.for a year...does that count?) BCBS ins. is a REAL KILLER when your self employed, and the lack of retirement/pension will be a s.o.b. when I'm too broken down to work.
Can't beat the luxury of only working 1/2 days though! The only hard decission I face each day is JUST WHICH 12 HRS DO I WORK!!!!!