[DBlain]

BTW since I am asking you what you do I will tell you my gig. I sell industrial filters for equipment that is used in large industrial plants. I have been doing this for about 15 years, I work directly for the manufacturer of the filters and sell mostly to distributors all over the country. I did this inside an office for a dysfunctional family company for about 5 years, I could no longer take the drama that went on in the company and the family so I approached another small company that did the same thing. They hired me on the spot and I got to work for home, things were pretty good but after about 7 years they started jerking me around, commissions were lowered and vacation time was beinging mandated so I decided I would leave. I also decided I was not going to work for anyone else so I contacted a few companies that did not have much of a sales staff and talked to them about working for commission only. Since all the companies were happy to have a free rep, I wound up being able to choose the company I most wanted to represent. So once my main filter line was in place, I contacted filter companies that sold a different but complimentary type of filter and proposed the same idea to them. So now I am an independent rep selling for 6 companies and make as much money as I did before but answer to no one. I could do much better if I prospected more, but I guess at 57 I feel like winding down a bit. I had several things going for me that made it easier, I have a husband that has a steady income and good benefits, I have a pretty loyal customer base that I knew would follow me, and of course a lot of years experience so I did not need training. What I did was create my own job. I have no idea of your circumstances but you should always be thinking of how to create a job for yourself if one is suddenly pulled out from under you.