I have a problem controlling myself sometimes, especially when I have had a few drinks. Last year at the Christmas party I got hammered and caused a bit of a scene. I also slept with my boss’s wife, which caused a much bigger scene. Roy was the contractor I worked for, and when he found out he punched me, fired me, and then punched me again. It got worse. Roy was friendly with all the other major contractors in town, so he called around and had me blackballed. Even though I was a certified HVAC tech with years of experience, nobody was ever going to hire me again. I had two choices – I could either move to a new town and get an HVAC job there, or I could get creative. In this part of the country we have a lot of oddballs who like to live “off the grid” and away from government interference. These people never call the power company or the HVAC dealership because they don’t use computers or credit cards. These are the people I had to target! I started offering myself services as a freelance HVAC technician who worked for cash and didn’t ask any nosy questions. My first client was a pot farmer who needed a new heating system and a ventilation system for his underground grow room. After that word got around, and I started getting more new HVAC clients. It’s still hard making ends meet, but since my new HVAC business is totally off the books I don’t have to worry about paying taxes or licensing fees.