I worked for that other place way too long. I thought I was getting a good salary. I was, comparatively. I was probably one of the highest paid eikaiwa EMPLOYEES in Japan. Lucky me though, I escaped the place three years before the collapse. Ask me what my salary was…Not telling…But I will tell you that it has tripled since I lost the “employee” title. Ask me how many hours a week I worked at that place…40+…and now? About 25…And the train? How many hours a week did I waste sitting on a train?….Between 10 and 15….Now?…None, unless I want to…And ask me how much time I spend promoting my business…Between 4 and 6 hours a week actively promoting…Anytime I leave the house my Smith’s jacket is with me, so that is a bonus…Am I the luckiest person on the planet?…Yes…Do I have any regrets?…No….Wait a minute, yes I do. I regret sitting on the fence too long. I should have taken the leap sooner. Smith’s is the way to go. Thanks to my lovely students and the professionalism within the Smith’s system, I really am the luckiest person I know.
jim
I also worked for that other place. Trains are nice, but not to go to work everyday; busy, crowded, sweaty. I love working at Smith’s, where I could choose my location and now ride my bicycle to work everyday. I haven’t worked a 40 hour week since i’ve been at Smith’s, and yet I make the same or more than at that other place. I love being my own boss! I second the ‘thank you’ and agree that we are very lucky. But as an old ice hockey goal tender friend always said: “only the good get lucky, and only the lucky get good!”
Edward, SSE Ohtsu
Thanks for the inspiring message, Jim. Though we’re not there yet, we hope to be able to double or triple our previous salaries in the next couple of years, and stories like yours provide us with encouragement!!!