Things turning bad at work. Need advise. Go out on my own? Suck it up?

[Fishy]

Somehow things will improve for you. A good friend of mine retired from making military parts for aircraft after decades working for the same employer. He then started his own machine shop at home. Turned out to be a good move on his part. Other shops that only did contact work would refer customers to him who only needed small runs of parts. But he stayed very busy. Some of those ended up being big, long runs of parts that kept him on the go for many years.

But things changed. Factories shut down or were bought out by foreign investors/companies. They'd severely slash expenses and only use him on standby. When a big Japanese company bought out his steadiest customer and then closed them down, that finally brought his shop to a standstill.

I don't have any advice, but will send prayers up for you.

[miket]

Excellent stuff, keep it coming. To clarify, I work in the machine shop of an oil tool company. We are kind of an offshoot of the real business, which is sales and rentals of oil tools. The machine shop was started to reduce costs, improve quality.and reduce leadtimes. We have been successful in those endevours. But we, overall, have a minimal impact on the business and no impact on sales etc. There is quite a possibility that the machine shop will close down while the core business survives.

[DuckDogTrainer]

I love being self employed! The question is is the risk of losing it all worth the possible reward of being your own boss? It sounds like you have been well compensated so it is unlikely that you will surpass your current income level quickly by going Lone Ranger. If you find yourself miserable at your current job I would say leave however as suggested above a renewed focus on helping your current company prosper could be very rewarding as well.

[Goldeneagle]

We haven't had anyone in management that actually had any machining experience in a long time. We just don't worry about them too much. There are guy's in the shop that are favorites, but I'm not one of them. I just refuse to play the games or get into the politics crap. I just come in and do my job and do it good. I may not make the same pay as the "pets", but after 40yrs and many layoffs, I'm still here. I wish I had some sound advice for ya Mike, but I do wish you all the best from a fellow machinist.

[BBBGP]

Excellent stuff, keep it coming. To clarify, I work in the machine shop of an oil tool company. We are kind of an offshoot of the real business, which is sales and rentals of oil tools. The machine shop was started to reduce costs, improve quality.and reduce leadtimes. We have been successful in those endevours. But we, overall, have a minimal impact on the business and no impact on sales etc. There is quite a possibility that the machine shop will close down while the core business survives.

Okay Thank you. If you have minimal impact on the business and no impact on sales why dose the shop exist? Why is leadership keeping it open. What is the value of keeping it open?

[BTLowry]

All good advice

I think I would be seeing what kind of similar jobs were available and weighing that against staying and cultivating my own business or taking another job and growing my business

I have heard from multiple people about how hard it is to get a business going and the lean times it brings.

Good luck in whatever you end up deciding to do

[Robert]

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[miket]

Okay Thank you. If you have minimal impact on the business and no impact on sales why dose the shop exist? Why is leadership keeping it open. What is the value of keeping it open?

The owner likes to have the ability to get a part asap if needed and we are cheaper than having another shop make them. Other shops charge a premium to get parts immediately, and when it is busy many shops wont even call.you back. We maintain low stock levels so it is common to get an order for a part that must be done "before we go home".

What I was really trying to say, is that the machine shop can only keep costs down and run efficiently, but we cant help get customers or improve business conditions overall.

[Ironman]

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Wow!

[BBBGP]

The owner likes to have the ability to get a part asap if needed and we are cheaper than having another shop make them. Other shops charge a premium to get parts immediately, and when it is busy many shops wont even call.you back. We maintain low stock levels so it is common to get an order for a part that must be done "before we go home".

What I was really trying to say, is that the machine shop can only keep costs down and run efficiently, but we cant help get customers or improve business conditions overall.

From the outside looking in. You need to open up communication with the owner. I would want to fix the issue with that side of the business not being able to grow sales.

You are there to support the other business but if your not worth your expense you will be eliminated. Thats why outsourcing exist.

Best of luck.

[tex4k]

No one knows what's right for but you. I stayed at a job for 30 yrs. I had the usuall kids, bills, and the works, I hated getting out of bed most all of those days. If I had the chance for a redo, no way would I do it over. What would you do if you could do it over?

[dauphlp]

It's a tough call in any circumstance but with kids future on the line it's hard to take a gamble. I led from the bottum for about 10 years but stuck with it. It worked for me, I'm now consulting with a premium paycheck. Not a guarantee but it does happen.

[Atfulldraw]

I wouldn't stay at a job where my position was primarily a liability for the company.

The best is the situation where no one knows exactly what it is that I do ... but they do know they can't do it without me.


Is it a possibility that they could cut back on your hours to allow you to spend more time at your side job? That would seem like a win/win for the short term for both of you.

[marceco]

My career path exactly parallels yours , except I started in 1977 on Acs , then NCs , and finally CNCs with just enough Manual and Welding Knowledge to make the things I needed for jobs / setups . I also had to do Quality Control / Instrument Certification which helps for an ability to cover all aspects . The only difference is my Wife's Job , Oil Company , had us transferred around a bit . For that reason I never bought my own equipment , although I had many friends who have . The biggest problem they encountered was not having money set aside for broken machines / tooling which you probably already understand how expensive that can be . The next biggest problem was if their shop grew and they purchased additional equipment was finding competent help . The ones that have been the most successful were the ones whoo kept it to just them ; a one man shop . Their wives / kids even help with some of the work . One other thing to consider is the area you are in ; obviously the closer you are to a Large Metro Area the more opportunities to find small run jobs . One individual back in Oklahoma somehow hooked up with a Company in either Montana or Wyoming making a little part for them back in The 80s and they have continued to use him . That little job year in and year out has always provided him with enough income to meet expenses so that everything else he would pick up was profit . He runs his business out of a building that is basically a Two Car Garage with a little work area . All that said , i would work for The Company you are with and build up a Cash Reserve for Your Business . You have obviously proved your worth where you are at . If possible I would have your wife or yourself try to find the time to take some Business Classes to better prepare you for that side of Your Business . Good Luck !

[RiverRat1]

I wouldn't stay at a job where my position was primarily a liability for the company.
The best is the situation where no one knows exactly what it is that I do ... but they do know they can't do it without me.
Is it a possibility that they could cut back on your hours to allow you to spend more time at your side job? That would seem like a win/win for the short term for both of you.

What I did was the opposite. Everyone knew exactly what I did but they never thought they needed me until it was too late. No one ever budgets or schedules for survey until the job stops so all jobs become rush jobs.