In general, my feeling is that the industry has gotten too technical for the return you get. You have to know, and stay on top of, a LOT OF STUFF to do well. And that gets old after a while.

I went to school for audio engineering, switched to residential AV during my internship to finish school, worked for companies for about 12 years before I got my low-volt license and went out on my own. I'm 38 and single, and have done some real estate stuff in the background which has worked out very well. To be honest, I'd rather do more of that. I'm waiting for the next major market adjustment to make another move.

I know of only about 2 or 3 (definitely less than 5) people who have done *really* well in this business - as in 'can retire with a very good lifestyle'. And they started their businesses 15+ years ago. I don't know if any of them could start a business today and achieve the same success they've had.

Also, it's no secret that the big, fat middle market is shrinking rapidly as electricians take on more and more. So if you want to remain an low voltage professional, I think you're gonna have to gear up to take on some big projects. I like those big jobs. But it's hard to get them as a new startup. Someone in here said they'd rather have (10) 10k jobs than (1) 100k job, and I feel the total opposite. During our stormy season, that could mean 10 jobs with lightning damage. I'd rather have just one to fix.