Before I opened my daycare, I owned and operated a jail commissary. If the inmate's family put money on their books, they could buy snacks and hygiene items from us. Our prices were strictly regulated and we were only allowed a certain percentage of profit.

One year, we sold our home in the city and moved to a small town, making a large profit on the sell of the house. My husband used part of it to buy a classic car that he had dreamed of owning since 1963. Oh my word, did we take heat for that. Every time someone misfigured their totals and wasn't able to get everything they wanted, we heard snide remarks about that car. Since we only went to the jail twice a week, the jailers (who wrote our check each week and saw what we made) were constantly making "jokes" about getting rich, working 2 days a week and driving fancy cars. What they never wanted to understand is that that check wasn't profit and a large chunk of it went to buy merchandise, pay taxes and social security, keep our equipment operational, etc. Our actual profit gave us a very modest living. As for working 2 days, ha!! I worked at least 40 hours a week, often more, but I was lucky enough to be able to work from home. Sound familiar?

Jealousy is ugly and I don't know why people think being self employed is all profit.

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