I see another perspective in this equation that hasn't been mentioned, and the reason for it is I am dealing with it personally. Let's say an individual has a great gig going as a one-man-band, but is struggling to keep all the balls in the air. If he lets any of them drop, there is a real chance of it hurting the business. Around here, when someone wants something done, usually they want it done yesterday or the day before, not tomorrow, next month, or next year. Besides that, when you tell these type you can't make it, they find someone that can, and guess who they call the next time around. I have been lucky for almost 10 years on my own, 15 years before that with my father with customers waiting until I can get to them, sometimes 2 to 3 years. The longer you are in business, the longer the list of GOOD customers gets, and the harder it becomes to take care of ALL of them. You start by losing one or two, and in a small community where everyone talks to everyone else, pretty soon some new guy OR a big shot comes from Fargo and all the sudden you are waiting for the phone to ring so you can go to work. Not a good place to be. It's been said that you will always be better off alone, but will you really?
I broke down last season and hired a guy so I'm not talking out my azz here. Statements made by some others about employees and their time and my time and whatever kind of p i ss me off. I am paying as much (or more) than most positions around (besides large farms, which I cannot compete with). There are two of us. Two. I am responsible for my family's financial well-being as well as his. I have many different jobs to know, from demolition to clearing to building site prep to drainage. I have to guess, usually by a phone call and previous experience with the customer's location, how long the job will take, and keep a running tally so I know who I can tell YES and who to tell MAYBE, and who to tell NEXT YEAR. And then, you lose your one guy for a day, or 3, or 10 because of [insert excuse here]. Or, he won't work Saturdays because it's summer and it's nice out, and I've worked 7 days per week for the last 30 years because that's what it takes to succeed/survive, take your pick. It gets really old, really fast.
I'm not trying to make a case either way for Mike's situation. Only he will be able to decide whether or not he wants to leave his comfort zone. But I can make the point, and I know there are others on here that agree, those of us trying to run a business and have employees don't appreciate those of you planting seeds of discontent in the minds of those on here who are employees, and I'm sure their bosses don't appreciate it either. If you want to sit and cry in your beer about your own inability to go into business for yourself, GREAT. Do it alone, don't try and peddle your attitude to guys on here, because those of us that need employees don't necessarily need them to make us a million a year, sometimes we need guys to keep our business running.