Ok, we are officially WAY off topic, but I like where this is going.
I agree that a person's labor is not "free". When the money that you bring home depends on how well your business does, labor is unfortunately a commodity that is parted with at a small cost. The start up of a business means that you must work long and hard or it will not be successful. You trade time now, when it is starting, for time later when the business is more established. An established business still requires work and time, but I know very few established business owners that spend weekend nights 40' off the
stage rigging
truss for someone else's show to make a few extra dollars. I spent HOURS this past
holiday weekend sitting on my back porch putting more than 200
stage pin connectors on 1,200 feet of SO cable to get it ready for a 6 month rental. (48 twofers!!!).
Yes, the labor is not free, but it is required. If I can spend 10-12 hours working for half price, and get at least $1,000 worth of good advertising....in my opinion it is worth it. It makes it even more sweet when I do get 3 or 4 more jobs because of that one and am able to make a good income.
I was talking to the owner of a lighting shop that I know and we were discussing how we got started. He does about, well...a lot of money..., in rental a year, plus sales, installs, tours,
etc.... He was saying that he started in NYC where he rented a small warehouse space and slept on a mattress on a shelf in the back for over two years. He got jobs putting plugs on cables, soldering
socapex, and cutting color for other companies and would do that after the shop closed for the night to try to make his business successful.
I agree that labor is not free, but it doesn't cost me anything. When it coses $2,800 to advertise in the yellow pages, $1000 to be listed on a playbill in town, Google advertising costs at least $300 a month, $1000 to be a member of the chamber of commerce,
etc.... me working for 10 hours or so doesn't cost me anything out of my pocket.