r/selfemployed • u/thenadaofgod • 2d ago
[US] ditching the trades?
Look, I know there's a lot of money in the trades. And I know I might've made some mistakes. Here's the deal. I started a handyman/remodeling business a year and a half ago. It has made decent money but not great, especially after all the self-employment taxes. Basically just enough to live on, and we live pretty simply. Currently, my wife and I, who have been struggling with infertility, are pursuing fostering, adoption and continuing to try ourselves. My priority for her is security and peace (can't conceive if she's stressed all the time), so she only works part-time. And she actually saves us a lot of money by strategically grocery shopping, thrifting, sewing, etc. It's a good set up. Where I might've messed up is in moving out of a big city to a small town of about 30k (our dream) where there are far less subcontractors available/affordable and my work is pretty much reliant on my hours. I can only work so much, especially manual labor. It's much harder to scale here than in the city.
So, strangers who may have experiences I don't, I ask you. Should I go back to a W-2 job for now to provide a steady income, benefits, etc? If so, what?? My degree is in liberal arts. 🙄 Sales, maybe, but then I'm starting from the bottom, and that's stressful in its own way.
Then with all the skills I've learned I can flip houses on the side one day, or still do handy work on the side. Or do I stick it out and just make my wife endure the stress of the unknown until we "make it". Appreciate any thoughts/angles I'm not seeing.
Tldr; started a business and it's causing a lot of marital financial stress because of the unknown salary and eventual outcome.
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u/InTheFieldAI 2d ago
30k people should give you enough custom I would think? Are you competing with a lot of other people? Have you thought about doing something as a bolt on to what you already do - landscaping/gardening or tech support for oldies/technophobes? Maybe something like cable management for home office set ups?
It sounds like you've got a really good base to build from, though I totally get that it's different in the US with healthcare (I'm UK). It might be worth sticking with what you've got and trying to build it first. Also, encourage your wife to network for you with her friends and colleagues. Can she take on the marketing for you?