First off, take a deep breath. Running a solo operation while juggling hands-on labor, equipment maintenance, and software development with zero safety net is exhausting. It makes absolute sense that you're feeling burnt out right now—especially when a slow couple of weeks hits and the equipment starts fighting back.
You have a remarkably strong foundation: 20+ years of skilled trade experience (journeyman electrician), hands-on mechanical ability, mobile/software development skills, and five years of keeping an independent business alive. Most people would kill to have even two of those in their toolbelt.
When you're at the point of starting to look for jobs, it doesn't mean you've failed—it means your current setup is draining your reserves faster than it’s building them back up. Here are three practical ways to look at your next move right now:
Getting a job doesn't have to mean giving up on being self-employed. In fact, taking a predictable paycheck right now might be the smartest move for your business.
- Get a primary job in the electrical/maintenance realm: Even without a current journeyman license, 20+ years of electrical experience makes you an extremely high-value candidate for roles like Facility Maintenance Tech, Property Make-Ready Manager, Commercial Equipment Repair, or Electrical Sub-assembler/Estimator.
- Why this helps immediately: It takes the pressure off "yard cleaning" to pay your rent, instantly stabilizes your personal finances, and gives you cash flow to fix or upgrade your equipment without stress.
- Keep the business active: Run your service work or dev projects on evenings/weekends on your terms, picking only high-margin jobs instead of grinding just to get by.
If yard work equipment is breaking down and taking too much non-billable mechanical time to fix, shift your focus toward services that rely more on your high-value skills and less on heavy machinery.
- Low-Equipment / High-Skill Services: Handyman electrical work (where licensing allows for residential/low-voltage), fixture/outlet updates, home automation/smart device setups, or general property maintenance/make-ready work.
- Leverage the 20 years of experience: Clients pay significantly higher hourly rates for troubleshooting electrical or complex mechanical issues than they do for basic lawn/yard cleanup.
Building mobile apps is a massive sink of time and money if it isn't currently generating revenue.
- Cut software overhead: Temporarily pause server/hosting or tool costs for any side software project that isn't actively making money today.
- Pivot your tech skills to client work: Instead of building your own apps from scratch, offer freelance tech services—like setting up or integrating job management software, websites, or automation tools for other local home service contractors who struggle with technology.
Going after a stable job right now isn't quitting; it's a strategic pivot to buy back your financial security and peace of mind. You can always scale the business back up once you have the capital and working equipment to do it comfortably. You got this !!!
