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Construction Worker Doubles His Income to $120K Running His Own Business, But Family Guilt Has Him Questioning Everything

MarketDash Editorial Team
4 days ago
A 25-year-old handyman from California doubled his income by leaving construction to work for himself, but now he's wrestling with family pressure and guilt about disappointing his former employer. Dave Ramsey's advice cuts straight to the point.

Sometimes success feels worse than failure, at least emotionally. That's the strange position Brian found himself in after walking away from steady construction work to build his own handyman business.

The 25-year-old from Van Nuys, California called into "The Ramsey Show" with a problem most people would love to have: he's now making around $120,000 a year, he's completely debt-free, and he's saving up to buy a home. The problem? Family members keep questioning his pricing, his former employer wants him back, and he can't shake the feeling that he somehow let people down.

Seven Years In Construction, Then A Leap

Brian started working construction at 18 and spent seven years earning about $30 an hour, which worked out to somewhere between $55,000 and $60,000 annually. When he went out on his own doing handyman work, clients started paying market rates for his skills, and his income took off fast.

He's built himself a solid financial cushion with both personal and business emergency funds. Client demand stays steady. But instead of celebrating, he's stuck in his head. "I feel bad like I let my ex-employer down," Brian admitted.

The Awkward Follow-Up Call

Making things more complicated, his old construction company recently contacted him to ask whether he was planning to come back. When Brian originally left, he apparently soft-pedaled the decision and described it as taking a break rather than moving on permanently. Now the company wants clarity, and Brian's wondering if he made a mistake.

Dave Ramsey wasn't buying the confusion. "I'm confused where the mistake might be," the personal finance expert said, pointing out the massive gap between Brian's old construction salary and what he's pulling in now.

Co-host Ken Coleman addressed the stability concerns that often come with self-employment head-on. "The fact of the matter is, you are more stable working for you with the skill sets that you have," Coleman told him.

The Cave Metaphor

Ramsey made it clear he doesn't see loyalty to a former employer as a valid reason to accept significantly lower pay. He shared a story about a relative who clung to the idea that long-term corporate employment was the only real security, even when the paycheck told a different story.

His message to Brian cut through the emotional noise. Real security doesn't come from company loyalty or a steady paycheck from someone else, Ramsey argued. It comes from having skills that generate income.

"Security comes from your ability to get up, leave the cave and kill something and drag it home," Ramsey said.

Translation: Brian's not abandoning stability by working for himself. He's creating it. The skills that make him valuable to an employer make him even more valuable when he captures the full market rate for his work. Family guilt and employer nostalgia are real feelings, but they're not financial arguments. Sometimes the hardest part of winning is giving yourself permission to actually win.

Back to Stock Market News

Construction Worker Doubles His Income to $120K Running His Own Business, But Family Guilt Has Him Questioning Everything

MarketDash Editorial Team
4 days ago
A 25-year-old handyman from California doubled his income by leaving construction to work for himself, but now he's wrestling with family pressure and guilt about disappointing his former employer. Dave Ramsey's advice cuts straight to the point.

Sometimes success feels worse than failure, at least emotionally. That's the strange position Brian found himself in after walking away from steady construction work to build his own handyman business.

The 25-year-old from Van Nuys, California called into "The Ramsey Show" with a problem most people would love to have: he's now making around $120,000 a year, he's completely debt-free, and he's saving up to buy a home. The problem? Family members keep questioning his pricing, his former employer wants him back, and he can't shake the feeling that he somehow let people down.

Seven Years In Construction, Then A Leap

Brian started working construction at 18 and spent seven years earning about $30 an hour, which worked out to somewhere between $55,000 and $60,000 annually. When he went out on his own doing handyman work, clients started paying market rates for his skills, and his income took off fast.

He's built himself a solid financial cushion with both personal and business emergency funds. Client demand stays steady. But instead of celebrating, he's stuck in his head. "I feel bad like I let my ex-employer down," Brian admitted.

The Awkward Follow-Up Call

Making things more complicated, his old construction company recently contacted him to ask whether he was planning to come back. When Brian originally left, he apparently soft-pedaled the decision and described it as taking a break rather than moving on permanently. Now the company wants clarity, and Brian's wondering if he made a mistake.

Dave Ramsey wasn't buying the confusion. "I'm confused where the mistake might be," the personal finance expert said, pointing out the massive gap between Brian's old construction salary and what he's pulling in now.

Co-host Ken Coleman addressed the stability concerns that often come with self-employment head-on. "The fact of the matter is, you are more stable working for you with the skill sets that you have," Coleman told him.

The Cave Metaphor

Ramsey made it clear he doesn't see loyalty to a former employer as a valid reason to accept significantly lower pay. He shared a story about a relative who clung to the idea that long-term corporate employment was the only real security, even when the paycheck told a different story.

His message to Brian cut through the emotional noise. Real security doesn't come from company loyalty or a steady paycheck from someone else, Ramsey argued. It comes from having skills that generate income.

"Security comes from your ability to get up, leave the cave and kill something and drag it home," Ramsey said.

Translation: Brian's not abandoning stability by working for himself. He's creating it. The skills that make him valuable to an employer make him even more valuable when he captures the full market rate for his work. Family guilt and employer nostalgia are real feelings, but they're not financial arguments. Sometimes the hardest part of winning is giving yourself permission to actually win.