My Last Job
The last time I worked for someone else was in 2000. Here’s why.
Coincidentally, that year was the last time I remember feeling seriously resentful about someone else’s success (which I helped maintain).
I’ll explain.
I was one of several managers who contributed to the bottom line in the numerous automobile franchises that my boss owned.
You’ve heard of, “Multiple income streams,” right? Well, my boss had them. In fact, he owned 5 different franchises at the same time, and 3 out of 5 did pretty darn well.
He was part of a new breed of automobile franchise owners that were starting to appear on the scene back then; in this case, he was the nephew of an old-time car guy. And, as an added bonus, he was very difficult to work for. He seemed to have a couple of different personalities, and I never knew which one he’d bring in to work.
He Owned A Big House
His house was big. His wife was well-kept. And, he wasn’t a nice guy. (Got the visual?)
But, he looked good. He wore nice clothes. He was well-groomed. His cars were always spotless.
The fact is, he owned a big house because he made big money.
But, he didn’t make a lot of money because he was an amazing businessman.
He made a lot of money because he had a good management team. Well, some of his managers were good. Some were real jerks. And mean, too.
I Actually Hated Him
Things were not going well there. Business was down, and one of the franchises was on the brink. It wasn’t a very pleasant situation to be in–as a manager. But, the owner didn’t seem to be sweating all that much. He was still Living The Dream. But, I wasn’t. I was really starting to hate the guy.
And he was putting a tremendous amount of heat on us to keep increasing sales, and they just weren’t there.
Note: Sales don’t happen unless there are customers willing to part with their money. And in this case, the “Customer” part of the equation was definitely missing.
With that in mind, I was getting sick of the charade of being involved in a “successful” automotive franchise that was on the sales block. Wait.
I forgot to tell you that I heard the place I worked at was for sale. How nice.
For Sale Or Close It Down
So I was working in a franchise that was either going to be sold or it would close. Nice. Pleasant place to work. Plus, the staff was unhappy. And worried.
But the owner wasn’t.
He was doing what he always did. He was coming and going all day long, enjoying the good life.
The good life I’m referring to is the one in which he still had a ton of income coming in from his other franchises. He still looked good, and I knew that I didn’t. I was miserable. And, I was sick of making my boss look good. I knew that I had contributed to his wealth–and I had nothing to show for it.
Except high blood pressure and a few grey hairs. And I really hated my work life.
Some Relief. And Lots Of Fear.
The day I got fired was a scary one.
That’s because as weird and dysfunctional as things had gotten, (I left a lot out) I really wasn’t expecting to be called into The Office that Monday morning.
So when the GM told me that my services were no longer needed, I felt two things, simultaneously:
1. A massive amount of fear.
2. A huge sense of relief.
The fear part had to do with being out of a job, and along with it, having no money to take care of my wife, and my little Franchise Princess.
The relief part?
It was like a 300 lb. weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
All the crazy, and really dysfunctional things that I had gone through as an employee of this automotive group were not going to be part of my life anymore. That was a good thing, because it really sucked working for this guy. The manager who fired me was no treat either.
And getting fired that day changed everything.
Today
I’m my own boss today. And I have been since 2001.
Working for a jerk was no fun.
But working for me?
That’s fun.
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