The Quiet Revolution: Owning Your Work, Not Just Your Job
There’s a quiet revolution happening right now—reshaping business, families, and lives. Thanks to information technology, people like you and me now have the tools to work from anywhere. The real barrier to launching a small technical business is no longer capital—it’s courage.
Today, all it takes to become an independent contractor is a set of tools, some skill, and a bit of grit. But with all this newfound freedom, the question I hear more than any other is:
“How long did it take you to feel stable and secure?”
The answer depends entirely on the path you choose: technician or entrepreneur.
Reaction #1: The Technician
Ah yes—security and no money stress. I remember that craving well.
When I was starting out, my wife asked me daily if it was working. Friends on surf breaks would ask, “You making any money yet?” And the landlord? Yeah, he didn’t exactly say, “Don’t worry about rent until you figure this out.”
Money’s a real factor, and I won’t dodge it: it took me nearly two years to feel stable.
This question—“How long did it take?”—usually comes from those walking the technician’s path. As Michael Gerber explains in The E-Myth, technicians start by looking inward: “What can I do?” Only afterward do they ask, “Who might want this?”
That was me. I had a bag full of web skills and a drive to over-deliver. I did anything that came my way. I worked hard—often for free—just to stay in the game. I wanted to survive and do the work I loved. And I did.
Hard work didn’t scare me. I thrived on the freedom to shape my own day. I learned to sell, hustle, and build relationships. My income was tied directly to my effort—and that was both empowering and exhausting.
But I made it work. I haven’t had a “job” in over seven years.
Reaction #2: The Entrepreneur
Here’s the deeper question:
Do you want to own your job, or build a business?
That second realization hit me later. It happened when I saw the truth: I didn’t own a business—I owned a job. A demanding one, at that.
The turning point came through my mentor, Tom. He started asking me questions—tough ones.
“What’s your exit strategy?”
I didn’t have one. If you removed me, there was no business. That was his point. A business you can’t step away from is just a job in disguise.
Tom, on the other hand, could disappear for six months and still make more money than I did. That fascinated me.
I chose Tom as a mentor because he’d built a system-driven company—one that generated income without requiring his daily presence. Over time, he helped me see the difference between being a self-employed technician and an actual business owner.
Back to The E-Myth:
Where the technician starts with skills, the entrepreneur starts with a customer. The entrepreneur designs a business around solving a problem. Structure and vision come first—not income. And early on, entrepreneurs often make little or nothing.
Their job is to prepare for growth—to build a foundation that can support more weight as the business scales. Because the business exists for the customer, not the ego of the founder.
Our Shift: From Technician to Entrepreneur
I used to love being the guy everyone called. I was the business. Clients weren’t buying a product—they were buying me. Heart and soul.
Then one day, I wished everyone would stop calling.
I was juggling too many balls. I felt trapped. I might have quit… until I met Tom, and he showed me a different path. A business that doesn’t own you.
Today, Peter and I are actively making that shift to entrepreneurship. We’ve identified a real need and we’re building a solution to serve it. (Can’t share all the details just yet—check back in November.)
We’ve turned down a lot of work this past month so we can make space to build. It’s scary to say no to fast money, but it’s the first step toward something bigger.
Soon, we’re heading to a business retreat to reflect, learn, and plan the next chapter. I have a stack of notes and ideas. It’s going to be good. I’d love to have you join us—at least in spirit.
The Big Question: Stability
So, to answer the original question:
Freelancing has been the most stable income I’ve ever had.
It took hard work to get it off the ground and consistent tuning to keep it running smoothly, but for the life I now enjoy? I wouldn’t trade it.
The key is to decide:
Do you want to own your job, or build a business?
Both paths are valid—they just lead to different destinations.
What’s beautiful about today’s world is that owning your job no longer carries the financial risk it once did. You can build a great life around your craft. We’ve done it.
Just know that whichever path you choose, you’ll need to wear multiple hats. Gerber says every successful business owner must develop three personas:
- The Technician (who does the work)
- The Manager (who organizes the work)
- The Entrepreneur (who designs the vision)
Cultivating all three is what leads to long-term freedom.
And if that freedom is calling you, it’s only a matter of time before you see your own opportunity. Your own chance to step up and build something great.