Putting More People into the Rat Race to Support My Escape

[StacyT]

How do you escape being a wage slave without perpetuating it (wage slavery) for other people? For example, I’d like to start a natural soap company that competes with larger brands in a big box environment. In order to do that, I will run the business side of things while workers in a manufacturing plant will be physically making the soap for my company – day in and day out. I also plan to streamline my side of the business so that I spend less time working and more time on non money-making activities (creative projects, travel, reading, cooking, family time, etc.).

So in essence I would be freeing up my time and creating more money for myself but now I will have people working in jobs for me so that I can be free.

There are a couple of thoughts I have about this:

1) Not everyone wants to be free from a job, so it’s ok. It would actually be beneficial to the economy to create more steady jobs within the United States. Some people are meant to be employees and others are meant to be employers and so I should feel happy that I am creating more jobs for people who want them (I can’t imagine anyone truly wanting a job so I’m having a hard time coming to terms with this).

2) I shouldn’t start a large, competitive company, but rather a small, handmade soap company where I do both the physical work and the business side of the work – thus creating less profit for myself and having a lot less free time. But at least I am not perpetuating wage slavery (this sounds 100% awful to me by the way!).

Does anyone have any ideas about coming to terms with creating a medium/large company while also being a conscious CEO? Should I get down in the trenches with the employees once a month and work alongside them? Ideas?

[SarahJaynee]

You could check out co-op manufacturing whereby ALL employees gain a profit share. As a business founder it is square on your shoulders to define a new and better way to set up the foundation of your company and what it brings to your employees.
Have you read any Daniel Quinn about Tribal Businesses? Some refreshing and out of the box business models to follow in both Ishmael and Beyond Civilization
There are numerous ways to begin and the best way is to start with your own beliefs about work and paying for someones time or skills.
For my business I measure my profits by how many new staff I can employ. A big profit year means I can create an extra (put number here) jobs rather than have a personal financial windfall.

[StacyT]

Wow SarahJaynee! Co-op manufacturing and Tribal Businesses are concepts I have never heard of before. Now I have a lot of reading to do, because it looks like you are on to something here.

What is your business?

[StacyT]

I don't know if the "Powers that Be" are trying to tell me something here, but when I Googled "Co-Op Manufacturing" I got a job posting for the exact company that I worked for (for 8 years right out of college) and tried so hard to escape when I realized that I was not meant for cubicle life. That was the very company that lead me on my quest to escape the rat race in the first place.

Creepy!!!! But I am taking this as a sign that maybe Co-Op Manufacturing is the direction in which I should be looking.

[Angela]

More and more people want to be entrepreneurs rather than employees -- why not take advantage of that and contract the services that you need? I'm seeing more and more of that type of arrangement -- creative mutual entrepreneurship work partnership opportunities.

(By the way, StacyT, I love your photo -- the image reminds of Leisl: "I am 16 going on 17" )

[StacyT]

Originally Posted by Angela

More and more people want to be entrepreneurs rather than employees -- why not take advantage of that and contract the services that you need? I'm seeing more and more of that type of arrangement -- creative mutual entrepreneurship work partnership opportunities.

I agree with you Angela - I thought I'd contract people for sales and give them a commission on the life of the account - but I'm sure I could get creative with the other aspects of the business as well....I'll have to think more about that.

Originally Posted by Angela

(By the way, StacyT, I love your photo -- the image reminds of Leisl: "I am 16 going on 17" )

Ha ha - thanks, I actually love that movie. If only I was 16 going on 17...then again, I'd rather not go back to that time. I'm loving my 30's!

[Angela]

Originally Posted by StacyT

Ha ha - thanks, I actually love that movie. If only I was 16 going on 17...then again, I'd rather not go back to that time. I'm loving my 30's!

You've got the best of all worlds, then -- the vitality and appearance of a teenager, but with the wisdom and experience of a thirtysomething.

[marinik]

As an HR in such a competitive "industry" like banking I must say that you have the right question/quest before you. The question of every business in the future. First of all you have to make a human environment people want to work in, they have to be proud of what they do and they need to feel a part of it all and important. The crucial thing is to have an ear and hart and hear, really hear what they have to say. The rest just comes along as you go. There are many small/medium companies built on respect and pride for what they make/give as service.

All the best luck to you dear Stacy!

Love m

[StacyT]

Originally Posted by marinik

As an HR in such a competitive "industry" like banking I must say that you have the right question/quest before you. The question of every business in the future. First of all you have to make a human environment people want to work in, they have to be proud of what they do and they need to feel a part of it all and important. The crucial thing is to have an ear and hart and hear, really hear what they have to say. The rest just comes along as you go. There are many small/medium companies built on respect and pride for what they make/give as service.

All the best luck to you dear Stacy!

Love m

Awww, thanks Marinik.

Wait, you are in Human Resources? That's what I used to do...First building zero energy homes and now HR - I keep finding similarities between you and I

[ssandra]

Why not try to employ (for the daily repetitive tasks in the factory) people who cannot start their own company?

I know this is not the place for those people, but there are plenty of people out there who are not intelligent enough to start their own company.

Maybe it will help you, an example of why somebody would want to work for a boss instead of his own:

A father of 3 with his wife staying home for the kids. He needs the money (obviously) but he does not want to sacrifice any time with the kids. So he is looking for a job that he can work in the school hours of the children (9 - 5) and after that be done thinking about it, and spend time in the present with his Children.

A mom of growing children who are now leaving the house. They have been what she did all these years, and now it is time to take her life back. She is looking for a job, not only to make some extra money to save for retirement, but also to make new contacts and not to sit home alone all day. She wants to have coworkers to chat to.

A man of 25 just out of school. In the future he may want to start his own business, but for now he is content to have his work week structured so he can still go out and have fun with friends on the weekend. He will also learn valuable skills working for somebody else.


It all depends what company you work for. If you are the type of boss that is standing by the door when people come in with a clock to hold back their salary if they are 5 min. late, yet expect them to finish up 1 hour late, without pay... yes, I wouldn't want to work there.

But if you plan to be the type of boss who gives and expects flexibility (so if my job does not depend on being in the workplace I can take a day off when my children are sick and work from home), who rewards good work not just with money but also with words, who knows the employees and they are not just a number to them... who makes sure that the atmosphere in the workplace is great... yes, I would work there.

[Tanja]

Originally Posted by StacyT

Does anyone have any ideas about coming to terms with creating a medium/large company while also being a conscious CEO? Should I get down in the trenches with the employees once a month and work alongside them? Ideas?

Others have already given you great advice, so I'm here just to wish you good luck Stacy I'm sure you'll be a great boss
Hope I finally get the courage to do the same

As far as wage slavery goes, I don't know how much skill your employees would need to have, in order to carry out their tasks in production, but if working in production doesn't require a long training period maybe you could focus on part-time employees (students or other people who would just like to supplement their income), something ssandra also suggested.

You can do it!

[marinik]

My father did an experiment in his firm about 40 years ago. He asked people to write down the pay they thought they deserved on a list that had only the highest on the top and lowest wages at the bottom. It was very interesting to see that everybody had it right almost to the cent, in comparison where my father thought they should be "on the scale". Only one underestimated his worth. After asked if they were satisfied with what they wrote 100% said they were. So my dad gave them the raises/cuts and so on... and made just one bad mistake, in trying to be transparent at everything he did he "published" the list. The moment people saw what other people were making it all went to hell, because it became personal - Joe has more than I??? and he is... and I am... To conclude as long as they were alone on the list and only had their own contribution to measure it was OK, the moment another person was there to compete with...

For Stacy it would be prudent to ask what would be the fair wage for a certain job. Not how much they would like to earn, or what would be enough - the question is "what is fare". People are at their best then and are very responsible towards all concerned.

And if they are unrealistic it shows a lot about their character and what kind ow worker/team player they would be.

In all of my years as a manager there was always a group of people that had no intention to move up the corporate leader, even become a "little" boss of a small group. They were OK and very happy at what they were doing day by day. Even in just punching endless numbers. So Stacy you will find people happy to do the oddest job. Don't worry. And the people will be happy if they are respected for what they do.

[ar81]

First of all, your organization should not become too hierarchical.
If it does, you may not have a chance to know what happens in the lower levels of the chart.

Make sure employees evaluate their bosses, just like bosses evaluate their employees. This will prevent abuse of power.

The more people, the more complex an organization becomes. It is very important that you are able to create a culture right now, and every new employee should embrace that culture to adapt to the group. So you need to define a set of values. It has to ba a nice place to work, but also a place where people feel that being highly productive is normal. It will make new employees to adopt such culture and values. Not only exposing values is important, but also see it being implemented in real life.

A company needs two people at the top. One pushing for finances, spend less, make more profit. Another one being creative, innovative, inventive, pushing for a vision. The struggle between those two will result in a good balance.

Make a plan with plan A and plan B. Plan with enough time, so people are not in a hurry ever. The job of a manager is to drive the car, not to extinguish a fire in the car. Avoid emergencies with planning.

Organize your company to be mobile. If you need to move to another city in a short time, your company should be prepared. Make your company flexible.

Do you need tips on how to organize your manufacture process? Do you have dedicated processes to certain products, or is the factory organized so similar processes are grouped on the floor?

[garentee]

Personally I would start small. Grow as it becomes prudent.Do all the work yourself at first so you know every job inside out and know how long it takes. As demand rises for your high quality product you can take on some help and structure your company accordingly. In my experience my business looked a LOT different when it came time to hire help then it did when I was thinking about it. Growing quickly in business is usually asking for trouble.

[Andrew Gubb]

In principle I don't think people need to do the whole opressor/oppressed game to be able to create a service as a community. The person who plays the leadership role doesn't have to charge imbalanced fees for his services. It probably makes sense to give yourself a high wage, as you are taking risks (or is that my prejudices? Hmm) but you should spread the prosperity around most of all FAIRLY. One man's win doesn't have to be the other man's loss - that's just the ego speaking!

I do imagine that it'd take energy and determination to break out of the mould though.

If you manage it, you would be an inspiration for me - do keep updates!

Andrew

[Chrisi]

I think as long as you don't put a chain on them it's okay to employ people. I mean they are free to leave the job and build their own business just as you are now. Maybe they are like you and need a job until they get clear about what they want. Showing them how fulfilling it is to have your own business and do what you love may have a positive impact on them.

So what do you think now?

[Dan Fulton]

I don't have much experience with this, but I thought I would offer a business model that worked for Henry Ford. Given, he lived in a different time and wasn't always the best to his employees. However, in his time, working at a Ford plant was one of the most sought-after jobs because he gave the highest wages for that kind of work and deep discounts for employees to buy their own cars.

In his own words:

"Make the best quality of goods possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible."

Maybe you can combine this idea with the ideas that others have shared above? I'm sure there are a lot of people searching for decent paying jobs, who lack the courage and ambition to free themselves, and your business sounds like something people can be proud of. Just don't treat them like numbers, and encourage those who decide to free themselves.

Best of luck!

[ArthurHung]

Realize first that everything is perfect and that there is nothing to escape from. There are people who can enjoy physical soap work for your company. Simply attract those people into your business. If you enjoy encouraging others to not work long hours, find a manufacturing company that has a policy that has a set number of hours they allow employees to work that you also feel good about.

It's not possible to consciously create justifications or logical reasoning to come to terms with any issue, including leveraging others to create your business. That's an internal thing, simply accept yourself more deeply, and just keep deepening this acceptance.

And keep doing what feels right. From the sound of your post you don't seem to want to "mingle/getting-into-the-trenches" at all, so simply don't do it. Do abundant people feel the need to get down and dirty with their housekeepers once in a while? Of course not.

There are so many options. And everybodies different. What you can't currently imagine as enjoyable, someone else is enjoying immensely right now. Just think of vegans who can't imagine eating meat, or a meat eater who can't imagine someone eating vegan.

So much variety in the universe

[StacyT]

Thank you everyone for all the amazing responses!!

I have decided that I just have to come to terms with the fact that some people do want a job and would be happy to work in a place where they are treated (and compensated) like people as opposed to minimum wage machines.

The best I can do is treat the people and the planet with respect and generosity, and enjoy the fruits of my business.

Arthur, you are so right on this:

Originally Posted by ArthurHung

What you can't currently imagine as enjoyable, someone else is enjoying immensely right now. Just think of vegans who can't imagine eating meat, or a meat eater who can't imagine someone eating vegan.

So much variety in the universe

[ellie]

Wow do you think it's really possible to be a CEO of a company in manufacturing and having lots of time to do your own activities?

I think you got to start reading and listening to more business entrepreneurs.

Not saying it can't be done ever, but I would assume it would be very unlikely that you could just start-up a company get factory workers to do your work and bobs your uncle.

Marketing a product and building relationships is a hard thing to do and quite time consuming.

[StacyT]

Originally Posted by ellie

Wow do you think it's really possible to be a CEO of a company in manufacturing and having lots of time to do your own activities?

I think you got to start reading and listening to more business entrepreneurs.

Not saying it can't be done ever, but I would assume it would be very unlikely that you could just start-up a company get factory workers to do your work and bobs your uncle.

Marketing a product and building relationships is a hard thing to do and quite time consuming.

Of course it's possible. I have already chosen an existing manufacturer, and employees are in place. I have experience with both marketing and SEO and will hire people for sales. I'll be using a fulfillment service to handle shipping and customer service. I'll basically be putting the pieces together and using automation wherever possible.

This is something I've already done on a smaller scale, but now I'm using what I know to create something larger.

[Manomanman]

Hire the wage slaves. They were born and bred to be hired by you. If you don't hire them, somebody else will. Better you, the benevolent boss, than the next guy.

JesseLovesYou.com » The Golden Rule is Bullshit

[Andrew Gubb]

Hire the wage slaves. They were born and bred to be hired by you. If you don't hire them, somebody else will. Better you, the benevolent boss, than the next guy.

A person polarised with love would not accept that. He'd look for people who he could treat in a non-slave manner.

Actually recently I've been forced to accept that sometimes people don't respond to you treating them with love and basically can only interact with you from a place of conflict. Sometimes you need to play those games, then, but I still maintain that if the option is to let people be slaves under you - well, if you can accept to feel their pain while going about healing greater pains through their work, OK. But damn, a lightworker is about getting people to wake up from slavery. I would feel very unlike myself doling out rewards and punishments to keep people with the slavery mindset in line.

I'm quite curious to think what a lightworker boss would look like actually. The word "leader" comes to mind.

“Do unto others as they would have you do unto them” is the way it should read.

If you're a darkworker.

[ellie]

Originally Posted by Andrew Gubb

A person polarised with love would not accept that. He'd look for people who he could treat in a non-slave manner.

If have a feeling Jesse might of meant, hire those that are slaves to "a wage" not necessarily them being ones actual slave. I read it initially as hiring cheap labour and have a slave.

On the other-hand what you suggested might be what he meant?

He'd look for people who he could treat in a non-slave manner

That's what I do. I love treating people that I hire in a non-slave like manner. The problem is you gotta find the staff that really appreciate it and appreciate what you are doing :P

Of course it's possible. I have already chosen an existing manufacturer, and employees are in place. I have experience with both marketing and SEO and will hire people for sales. I'll be using a fulfillment service to handle shipping and customer service. I'll basically be putting the pieces together and using automation wherever possible.

This is something I've already done on a smaller scale, but now I'm using what I know to create something larger.

Great then you will have to let us how it all goes

[pjhaggerty]

You should give people a choice. Have two compensation plans: one based on production, the other based on hours. If people want to be judged and payed on their results, then let them. If they'd prefer 'wage slavery' then let them. It would take some mathematical fine tuning to make this profitable, but I think it would be the most conscious choice as you're letting other people choose. I also think you'd be surprised by how many people will choose 'wage slavery'.

[Illustro Cado]

You will treat people as they want to be treated. This is inescapable. Those who are "freed" by your actions were ready to break their chains; they hold the key, they have the power, you can only help them realize that. If they won't there is nothing which will pry them loose. Remember that convention exists because people demand it. Though wage slaves bitch about their station in life, it is rare that they see fit to do anything about it. The truth is they'd be lost without the system. So long as it exists they will cling to it, and so long as they wish to cling to it it will be there.

That isn't to say one should not question convention, but you must be aware of what you're up against. It is not your charge to save the world nor could you if you so desired. I don't think anyone in this thread supports dampening the awareness of those who want to break out of the rat race, as the OP calls it, rather we (if I may be so bold) feel it is imperative to ally our actions with reality. If wage slave labor is best suited to your particular task, you do yourself no favors in denying it. It is better they work for someone who is benevolent rather than submit to a wholly exploitative relationship with another employer. Now if you only wish to work with awakened, motivated individuals, that's understandable and perhaps even admirable. Just keep in mind that if you want to break free of commonality you'll need to be very selective in order to be successful.

Steve himself utilizes the labor of the employees of his local cleaning service. When asked, he said something along the lines of, "if they're going to be slaves I might as well take advantage of it." He didn't put it quite like that; to be fair to him I might be twisting the sentiment by the way I'm wording it, but that's how I remember it. The point is that you have to pick your battles. You can't take the weight of other's choices upon yourself no matter what your intentions may be.

[Margarita888]

As someone who has owned businesses with anywhere from 2-30 employees, I can tell you this:

1. Most people don't realize they're in a "rat race". They're usually just trying to survive, and will gladly play the part to support your escape
2. Most people do not have the skills, resources, or courage to start their own businesses, and prefer the perceived illusion of safety by working for somebody else

The last time I hired employees for a manufacturing position in my company (May 2009), I realized too that some people really don't know to do anything else. In my case, I was hiring seamstresses, and the ones I hired have been sewing all their lives. If all they did was sew, they don't really have other skills to make them qualified for anything else other than another manufacturing or laborer's job.

I never hire based on educational achievements. When I hire, I specifically look for people who "play" at the job I'm offering. Whether it's just cleaning tables or high level customer support. These are people who truly enjoy doing the job. You can tell because there's passion and maybe a twinkle in their eyes when they talk. When you offer a job to people like these, you are giving them a gift, not just a number in the rat race.

[Excellent Lodestar]

Originally Posted by Margarita888

I never hire based on educational achievements. When I hire, I specifically look for people who "play" at the job I'm offering. Whether it's just cleaning tables or high level customer support. These are people who truly enjoy doing the job. You can tell because there's passion and maybe a twinkle in their eyes when they talk.

I'm the same way...I think employers like you are in the minority, unfortunately. a little emotional Intelligence can go a long way

[Manomanman]

Originally Posted by Margarita888

As someone who has owned businesses with anywhere from 2-30 employees, I can tell you this:

1. Most people don't realize they're in a "rat race". They're usually just trying to survive, and will gladly play the part to support your escape
2. Most people do not have the skills, resources, or courage to start their own businesses, and prefer the perceived illusion of safety by working for somebody else

The last time I hired employees for a manufacturing position in my company (May 2009), I realized too that some people really don't know to do anything else. In my case, I was hiring seamstresses, and the ones I hired have been sewing all their lives. If all they did was sew, they don't really have other skills to make them qualified for anything else other than another manufacturing or laborer's job.

I never hire based on educational achievements. When I hire, I specifically look for people who "play" at the job I'm offering. Whether it's just cleaning tables or high level customer support. These are people who truly enjoy doing the job. You can tell because there's passion and maybe a twinkle in their eyes when they talk. When you offer a job to people like these, you are giving them a gift, not just a number in the rat race.

I second this post. Excellent points throughout.