I've been owner/operator for 13 yrs. It bothered me then and it bothers me now when some "person" says that I have a "job" and that only when you have employees do you have a "busn". To be really honest, it p's me right off. I know a guy that has two trucks and when his employees left he had to get his and his wife's butt on the truck themselves for close to a year before he found some decent guys. Another guy hired guys and because they didn't do the work right he lost half his busn, fired them, got back on the truck and built it up again.
Its not that no one else couldn't do it, I just don't want the hassles of an employee. When I go on a vacation, yes, no work gets done, but neither is anything getting broken or there are no problems with clients or equipment when I get back.
Who says an owner/operator can't build something to sell?? I think an O/O can build something that will last for years even after he/she is gone.
I have select clientele that when I am over booked I know some good cleaners I can refer, and for people who don't want to pay my price, I send them to the multi-truck operations who typically can't charge as much as a O/O cause they need the volume to cover expenses.
Who says we stay under the radar? O/O can be just as verbal and have a better rep than most multi truck "busns".
As for BIG $$$$$, I think an O/O can actually be more profitable. There's nowhere near the overhead or headaches. Depends on what you want in life.
Its such an insult to suggest we don't have a busn.
Forget the wolves and the sheep.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-l93gltkCc
