[discostu]

If you don’t do a good job repairing them you ain’t gonna sell them, so yes people can “replace” you by buying from somebody else. And remember who’s REALLY making the money when houses get bought: the BANK.

Somebody else ALWAYS profits from your labor. It’s the nature of life. Even if you’re the boss. Anthony Bourdain was talking about a conversation he had with Emeril asking why he kept growing the brand, at what point was it big enough, when had he made enough money. Emeril’s answer was “do you know how many people lose their jobs if I don’t keep this thing growing”. Since nobody exists in a vacuum it is not possible for you to be the only one profiting from your labors.

[RainMan]

Your logic is absurd at best. By your own definition, no business can make money because it is dependent on customers, ergo, only the Fed can make money by running a printing press. Money is simply a standard for trade. Yes, you always have to have trade partners, and you make money on the transactions. The point I thought you were making was not how to transact business, but rather how do you as an individual make money (and I assumed you meant real money, not just a paycheck)


I think I can actually give you a better point-of-view to your original post. Rather than say "make somebody else money", or "be hard to replace", change it to 1 simple statement: Be willing to take risks.

The more risk you take, whether it be starting your own business, or working on commission, the more potential money you will make. When you take a risk however, there is also the chance you will crash and burn. If you want safety and security, work for someone else and accept whatever they pay you, but if you want more ... take a risk.

To everyone else here, I apologize for the rabbit hole this conversation went down ...