Have you ever thought about quitting the business

[RandyVue]

Have you ever quit the business or thought about no longer being a provider? If so, what kinds of things make you think about moving on and no longer doing it?

[Kevin Slater]

Oh sure.  I'm fortunate to have done well enough that I could have retired over a decade ago.  One thing that kept me going was the fear of too much free time.  The early days of Covid lockdown, however, assuaged those fears.  I learned the newspaper alone can consume six hours if you let it.  So for the past several years I haven't been working at it as hard as before and focusing more on a work / life balance.  I'm enjoying this current phase of pre-retirement, and at some point may opt for semi- or full retirement. But for now I enjoy the work and still like knowing when I go to bed each night that I stored away more acorns than I ate.

Kevin Slater

[Jarrod_Uncut]

8 hours ago, RandyVue said:

Have you ever quit the business or thought about no longer being a provider? If so, what kinds of things make you think about moving on and no longer doing it?

Can I turn the question around: are you in the business and thinking of quitting? I mean, it’ll help if you can give some insight if you may be questioning the decision? 

To add to the question: I will say, the idea of “quitting” is often thrown around like it’s an “easy” thing to do. It almost seems like some people believe that it’s easier to quit than it is to have alternatives, or different ways of doing things. 
 

Fact is, that is not usually the case. Especially if it’s something you enjoy. In my case, yes there are things that make me dislike the business: One of them being the fact of not being able to accommodate bookings because they either come at unpredictable times of the day, or people expect to make things happen on such short notice within a small window of time, that I can’t make it happen. Then add cancellations (even with deposits, it’s still annoying to have because it makes you feel like you can’t truly plan your finances, schedules and expectations arrive bookings, because it’s too likely a chance someone is going to have a reason to not show).

What I’ve found better than quitting is restructuring things to suit the circumstances. I don’t work the same way now that I did 2 or 5 years ago. 
 

5 hours ago, Kevin Slater said:

Oh sure.  I'm fortunate to have done well enough that I could have retired over a decade ago.  One thing that kept me going was the fear of too much free time.  The early days of Covid lockdown, however, assuaged those fears.  I learned the newspaper alone can consume six hours if you let it.  So for the past several years I haven't been working at it as hard as before and focusing more on a work / life balance.  I'm enjoying this current phase of pre-retirement, and at some point may opt for semi- or full retirement. But for now I enjoy the work and still like knowing when I go to bed each night that I stored away more acorns than I ate.

Kevin Slater

That is a great position to be in. But, I get impression that the original question might not be related to when planning to comfortably retire, but rather: Being in a position of where one is considering to make a hasty exit strategy due to factors centered with the business.

[Jamie21]

Sometimes yes. In the sense that I begin to think can I do this next year, in five years or beyond? How should I adapt? 

While I enjoy the work I’ll continue doing it (and as long as the phone keeps ringing). I like being non conventional. I like not having to answer to a boss. I like the people who work in the industry. So there’s lots of reasons to stay at it and few to leave. 

I agree with @Kevin Slater work life balance is important. I have that and it’s worth more than money. I can spend hours reading, go for a walk, sit and have a coffee in a cafe and watch people, write for fun and use the gym when it’s quiet (honestly that’s so nice not having to wait to use a piece of equipment while someone sits there on it looking at their phone!). 

[RandyVue]

2 hours ago, Jarrod_Uncut said:

Can I turn the question around: are you in the business and thinking of quitting? I mean, it’ll help if you can give some insight if you may be questioning the decision?

No, I was in the business years ago when I was in college. I’m just more fascinated by the experience of others.

[Storm4U]

I pulled out of the business for a few reasons. A couple of them are:

1) Overall, I stopped enjoying having a massaging in LA specifically and dealing with the negative things that come with it. I was ready to move on.

2) When I moved into my new place, I decided I did not want strangers coming in to my new home and knowing where I live, and most clients in LA want you to host. My new place is like a sanctuary for me, so that’s another reason.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by Storm4U

[Jarrod_Uncut]

2 hours ago, RandyVue said:

No, I was in the business years ago when I was in college. I’m just more fascinated by the experience of others.

oh okay, interesting. But what prompted specifically this question? On behalf of someone you know? 

1 hour ago, Storm4U said:

I pulled out of the business for a few reasons. A couple of them are:

1) Overall, I stopped enjoying having a massaging in LA specifically and dealing with the negative things that come with it. 

2) When I moved into my new place, I decided I did not want strangers coming in to my new home and knowing where I live, and most clients in LA want you to host. My new place is like a sanctuary for me, so that’s another reason.

 

 

It seems in many cities, clients want others to host unless they’re situated in a hotel. When I’m out of town I usually prefer to host, because some people have differing living circumstancess going on. Even had one last week who I drove all the way out, and he wouldn’t answer my calls or texts. I was livid. It was a house in a “industrial” area of town, so I didn’t want to get out and knock on the door or be standing there looking like a burglar. So I drove all the way back across town to where I was staying. 
 

Then he texts me an hour later, saying he was waiting for me but had phone charging🤦🏽‍♂️ He sent a deposit, but he had to send a cancellation fee to get me to go back out there. Fortunately the 2nd time he picked up and was there. He opened the door and was f-ing hot 🥵 🔥 so I was happy 😊 

I can’t wait to get back into my own place. I will be hosting gladly. I never found having clients over to really affect my serenity in a place. However I am considering a 2 bedroom place next time, to have that separate area.

 

 

Edited April 24, 2022 by Jarrod_Uncut