Considering a career change

[Stickey]

So, I have spent the last ten years building my business. I own a landscape company and make a living doing it. I don't think I love it any more though. I have a lot of freedoms by being the owner that I'm not sure I want to let go of but I also have a lot of responsibility and liability that I'm not sure I want anymore. The economy is a concern and although I made a 16% gain in sales last year, I think I'm starting to feel a ripple effect. Its evident that the government is broke and going after money anywhere they can: IE: new state taxes on LLC's and less leniency in laws. I also have 2 children now that I am raising, which is a chosen diversion of my focus. I can't help but wonder if I'm starting to see the writing on the wall or just experiencing typical growing pains.
So what else would I do? My wife just completed nursing school last year and she says it's my turn to focus on my career. I didn't go to college after high school because I did't know what I wanted to do ( I guess I still don't). Here are some of the things I'm considering.
Go to school for landscape design
Stay at home dad (full time)
Firefighting academy (I think there are a few fireman here, would really like to hear from you)(seems like I'v been getting signs regarding this career lately)
Sell business assets and pursue farming (remove myself from the rat race) ( I am an agricultural hobbiest- Applle orchard, maple sugaring, organic vegetable gardening)
Start another business that I am passionate about
Keep plugging away at what I'm doing (10 years is a lot to just say goodbye to)
I know I don't have to pick just one.

I don't know what do you guys think? What do you do for work?

[gator330]

The stay at home dad/ag hobbiest sounds good to me. I have a long depressing 17 years in as a corrections officer. Get a job like I have and you'll miss the land scapping real fast!!! Nine more years and I'm out the door half pay. Hope to have sugaring and the fresh produce opperation up and running as well as working some field crops to offset the differnce. Be nice to be in the outdoors. Rather then around all the scurge of the earth. And beleave me I see the scurge of the earth!!!!!!

[JuniperHillSugar]

Dear Stickey,

I'm a self-employed Professional Land Surveyor in Maine and I have been through the same growing pains and issues that you are feeling. If you are considering growing your business with employees, don't. You will be dealing with workers comp, payroll taxes and you may not realize any more income from this extra effort.

I have begun to think that the life of a subsistence farmer is a noble calling, although it does not fly well at dinner parties when guys compare the size of their paycheck. My four young children love to help Dad with the firewood, farming (13 dairy goats, dozen hens, couple of pigs, haying and gardening), and of course MAPLE SUGARING. You have the power to make your kids childhood one to remember. Go for it.

Good Luck.

[Haynes Forest Products]

I see it Family first and if you feel that is handled then its a steady income you need with a family. Why not get a good manager for the landscape and try and let them grow the company as you persue your next chapter in life. They say that a person makes about 3 big career changes in their life time. so heck your on schedual for one. Looks like you live ware you work so that can be a challange to step away totaly without selling out. Get organized and find a specilty that you like. Just because your busy doesnt mean your making a living. Remember what Whyne Gretzy said was the key to his success was skating to where the puck will be not where its is:)

[Dill]

I've been moving more towards farming the last couple years. But I would say it requires a huge investment of time and money. Right now I make probably a 80/20 split between insurance and haying/sugaring. I would love to push it the other way but back to time and money. I would say why not do the landscaping and ag stuff at the same time?

But just a caution, you are going to have to make a huge garden to pay for anything. Farming needs scale in order to make anything. We're making 10k+ square bales and 800 round bales in the summer, Dad's raising 20 or 30 steers a year along with my brother. I have a few pigs at my house. And we both have very large gardens. But its all a "part time" job for the 3 of us.

[Stickey]

Thanks guys.
Gator - Retirement planning is on my shoulders which is just one more hat to wear.
Juniper hill, I already have employees and budgeting for the additional costs of them is like taking an educated guess. Yes agriculture is a noble calling, one I'm not ashamed to share with the children.
Haynes, I 'm currently exploring exactly what you suggested, but am finding that no one cares about your business like the owner. My business was my child before I had children, Neglect it or give it up for adoption? Tough decision.
Dill- I know the investments are substantial but they are also rewarding. No?

[backyardsugarer]

I teach full time,own a swimming pool company and do the syrup as a hobby thing (for now). Whatever you end up doing make sure you have some retirement built in rather you contribute to it or you have a pension. Don't count on social security to be around for you because that is going broke too. As it was stated in a previous post, family first, then something you enjoy/can make money at. Not sure where maple fits into all of that, but it is going to be my retirement activity in 20 years. I have noticed that you can make money in maple but it is not ultra lucrative unless you are one of the big boys.

Chris

[maplecrest]

i was a full time farmer until 1988 and sold the milk herd. tryed everthing under the sun to stay full time farming . selling hay ,firewood, maple syrup ect. then the children came it to the picture. health insurance!! so i got a job and my farm became a hobby. 18 beef cows 3200 taps 10000 bales of hay a year.well too many square bales too handle lead to round baler. too much time in sugar house led too oil fired rig to r/o. firewood is a thing of the past other than my house.20 years have now past and my kids are gone. one in college the other works for power co. and is around now to help with the maple on days off. so i have in the last 3 years gone to 10000 taps, 40 beef cows,and putting up more hay.but still have my full time job. looking back the only thing i might have done differently was stay home dad because child care was a wash. pay check in and out to day care.but that is only a few years. then they are in school. my advise to you take it for what it is worth is look your present job over. pick and choose the better jobs you like and weed out the rest

[Haynes Forest Products]

One more point I have a friend that has a large high end landscape company. He was running 4-5 crews was all over the place. He got to the point that he was frazzeled and cut back to just 1 good crew and he makes about the same money and les equipment and overhead and STRESS.

Try and find like minded employees that are willing to understand your passions and will work around your scedual do the fire fighting and keep the business going and plan for MAPLE SYRUP. If you learn to manage people you will become a manager in other ways

[Maplebrook]

Sticky,
I was a stay at home dad for 7 years while my wife worked full time. Best 7 years of my life. Only good things to say about it. I was home with the kids for 3 months when our first maple tree was tapped. maple has grown with the kids - now 14 & 12 - and I'm glad I was able to spend the time with them. I've gone back to work, wife's turn now as she retired!

Kids are only (in theory!?) dependants for 18 years. Enjoy it while you can. Business that keeps you away from home will always be there when the kids are grown.

You are facing a tough decision - I''ve been there. Keep us posted.

Darren

[brookledge]

Well alot of good post. I'll chip in with a few ideas.
If I were in your shoes I think you need to determine what involvement you want with your kids and there lives. Some professions are more allowable if you will to go to there games or go on summer vacations etc. Definately if you are doing landscaping or farming full time then summer is a very busy season so planning a week or two of vacation in the summer is tough.
As for firefighting, it is a good profession but with towns and cities going through layoffs it might be a few yrs before you could land a secure position.
Also having a job with good benifits these days is a plus. If you are self employed you might need to pay for your own health ins which can cost about 1400 for a family plan. Self employed does have some nice things about it too so don't get me wrong.
I don't know how old your kids are but what ever you do if you are not careful they will be out of the house before you know it. So if you are at a point in your life where you have a choice you are lucky. Like I said look at what you want to do with them and then see if the profession you are thinking will allow that.
I have a good friend of mine who has told me that a vacation was a day trip they always needed to milk cows in the morning and be home for eveing chores.
May be with your wife becoming a nurse she can get a good job with all the benifits and it will allow you to be self employed.
Good luck
Keith

[Stickey]

My wife is the bread winner right now, no doubt about that. It was tough getting her through school and we agree that it is my turn now. I'm just trying to make the most of it. I talked with a friend who is a police officer tonight and asked some questions about fire fighting careers. It seems like I will have to start out as a volunteer. My wife seems to like this path and thinks I would be good at it. I'm going Ice fishing with a friend from the local fire department this weekend, so I'm sure I'll learn more.
Thanks for all the comments.

[Acer]

Stickey's got the 10 year itch.

Farming is the kind of job you have to save up for.

I know a couple farmers they are "just going to keep farming till they run out of money".

[Stickey]

Stickey's got the 10 year itch.

Farming is the kind of job you have to save up for.

I know a couple farmers they are "just going to keep farming till they run out of money".

LOL, No I don't, I had it but my wife gave me some cream for it. The consensus seems to be that farming is difficult to make a living at. No matter what happens in this world, people will always need to eat.

[3rdgen.maple]

I own my own business as well stickey. Although the field I am in is all I have ever done since I was in 10th grade. Difference with mine and yours is that I compete with corporations like cannon,xerox, heildburg etc..... There are very few independent service guys in this field and it is not hard to outbid the corps. The few others out there have grown there businesses to the extent where they had to hire many techs and train them.. I have a hard time letting someone else represent me or my business. I employ 2 other people who do the warehouse and delivery stuff. With the economy what it is the other independants with big overhead are dropping like flies. My plan from day one was to grow it, sell out and move on. Now it just makes more since to me to do as Haynes says. Manage from the outside. I have to someday hire and train a reliable person to take it over while I still own it. For incentive there will have to be a percentage of profits added to their salary. The more they want the more they have to put into the business. That way I can key in on a life where I am home more and doing other things I am passionate about. I would consider moving a guy up that will fit that bill. Collect a paycheck, still have control but you are in the backseat doing something else you love. Only the strong are gonna survive in this economy and if your percentages went up you are doing something the other guys are not. Don't give up on it just make some changes to enhance your life style.

[3rdgen.maple]

LOL, No I don't, I had it but my wife gave me some cream for it. The consensus seems to be that farming is difficult to make a living at. No matter what happens in this world, people will always need to eat.

Yes this us true but unfortunetly food seems to be cheaper to import than to make in this country. Cost of farming in the us is not good. We are an import country and thankfully maple syrup is a northamerican product that no other can do.

[Woodland Acres]

I like Gator330 am in Corrections . 21 years of dealing with idiots and some inmates also.I had a small construction business ,seemed like i never made a real paycheck from it.Taxes , people not paying their bills ,insurance, and all the overhead from equipment, not to mention weekly payroll, got me wore right out. I was putting in 70 plus hours a week.Now I just make maple syrup and find there is enjoyment when people come back year after year to get their fix.To me this is priceless and if I had to I would have gotten into sugaring when I started corrections.I guess the bottom line is to consider your wife and kids first but enjoy what you choose for a career.

[maple flats]

Consider what I did. I ran my own business for 30 years and did fairly well but at age 51 I had tired of the rat race, long hours (sometimes 18 hrs for 4 and 5 days in a row. I was just tired of it. I sold the business(no I didn't get rich) and I started driving school bus. Not sure about your area but here the benifits are real good and it affords me the time to do the other things such as maple, blueberry farm (4.5 acres u-pick) and I bought a portable saw mill and do a little custom sawing. When I tire of one thing I switch to something different.
However, if I were younger I think I would do one of 3 things. Either become a surveyor, a forester or get into the renewable energy field. I think solar and wind (and hydro) are a big item going forward. The first 2 because I like doing that sort of thing and the 3rd because I believe it has a big future.
My suggestion to you is decide what you "want to be when you grow up" so to speak and persue it. Career changes can be rewarding. Working for others has plus and minuses'

[Stickey]

I guess I should update this thread. I have toured my local fire house and began filling out the paper work to volunteer as this is the starting point for a career in that field. I am keeping the business but making big changes. I'm in the process of interviewing people for "my job". I will only do what I can from home while taking care of the kids (marketing and managing from a distance). This will likely mean a cut in pay for me, but you only get one chance to raise your children and I can't put a monetary value on that. Who knows maybe I'll get lucky and hire the right people so the business will grow and flourish. Maybe it will go the other way.

I guess all I want to be when I grow up is a role model to my children.

[vtsnowedin]

Sticky,Kids are only (in theory!?) dependants for 18 years.
Darren
:lol:
That's funny right there.. I don't care who you are thats funny.
Wait until they start explaining to you about grad school and post docs.
I've got em up to thirty years old that still bring their laundry home on weekends.

[Russell Lampron]

I have been an auto service technician for most of my life. I started fixing cars professionally in 1975. Every day I dread the drive to work and opening that tool box again. Cars have changed from something that anybody with a tool box could fix into something that you need many hours of training and special electronic equipment to fix. The customers have too. They are more demanding and are always using that "Ever since you" line to try to get something for free when their car has a problem.

I am too old, 53 years, to start over or to change jobs and make the money that I am making now. Nobody wants to hire an old man to do a job that they can pay some kid 1/3 as much to do even if the old man can do it better. I look forward to the day when I can keep the tools that I want to and sell the rest. Don't get into a rut like I did. Change now and be happy with what you decide to do. Every career has its ups and downs but the less that you have to deal with other people and their problems the better.

[Logscaler]

I am on my third career – second career change at 51 years young. I worked construction ever since I was big enough to reach the levers on a TD14 bulldozer. At 31 years old I left that job (very long story) and went to college to get a degree in forestry. Yes – I was a freshman at 31. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1995 and went to work in the forest products industry. My wife and I bought this old farm hoping to turn it into a retirement income producer. That all changed a year ago when my job at the sawmill was eliminated. Now I am full time farmer 15 years before I thought I would be. I am broke but happy as a pig in s!!t. I wouldn’t change a thing. With all due respect – I truly feel one is never too old to change anything!

[Ridgeland Farm]

Firefighting is a great career. My best friend and my brother in law are both firefighters in NH. Im sure by now you have heard but the fire academy in Concord does a recuit school. Starts in feb usually and takes 3 months. gets you your FF1 FF2 and C2F2. Now that you are a vol. it will be much easier to get in. and much cheaper too! I have been trying to decide the career path as well! And firefighter was at the top of the list till I found maple syrup! Now that has become my future focus. I am luckier than some, with a wife that will have a very good job that will allow me to focus on maple. Atleast we can only hope.... who knows what the economy will do in the near and distant futer.

[Frank Ivy]

Read up on Peak Oil and then decide.

[Stickey]

Well, I just did, something about it smells. I'm not going to let it get me all worked up. Maybe I missed the point?....