Is it normal for a company to cut your hours right after you train your replacement?

Went out on my own at 41 after 14 years with a shop, so I can tell you what the first year actually looked like. The electrical part was easy, obviously. The paperwork nearly broke me the first two months. Get an LLC, get a general liability policy (your state licensing board can tell you the minimum, and most inspectors want to see the certificate before they'll even talk to you), and set up a separate business bank account from day one. Don't co-mingle funds, it turns into a tax mess fast. A small business accountant costs a few hundred bucks a year and pays for itself the first time you file quarterly estimates wrong.

That schedule board tells you everything you need to know. If the two guys you trained are slammed while you sit home Tuesdays, the owner allready made his decision, so stop waiting for him to change his mind. One thing I'd add: you don't have to quit cold. When my old shop started squeezing me, I took weekend side work for about eight months first. By the time I left, something like half my current customers were people I'd already done jobs for. A journeyman with 11 years of service calls has a phone full of homeowners who only trust you, not the shop. Start there and the business side catches up fast.

The part people don't warn you about is quoting. First job I solo'd I basially charged my old hourly rate like I was still on a W-2 and lost money once I figured in van fuel, materials runs, and my own wasted time driving back for a part. Now I price the job, not the hours, and I pad for the dumb stuff. Also don't burn the bridge on your way out. Half my first year came from customers my old shop couldn't get to fast enough, and the owner even sent overflow my way because I left clean instead of angry.

One thing I'd figure out before you jump: health insurance and time off. When I went solo I didn't think past the hourly rate and got blind-sided by what a family plan costs without an employer chipping in. It doesn't mean don't do it, just means your quotes gotta cover more than you think.

One thing to check before you even price out that LLC is wether your journeyman license actually lets you pull permits in your state, because in a lot of places a journeyman works under someone else's contractor number and you need a seperate contractor or master license to legally sign your own permit applications. I learned this the annoying way when a buddy of mine tried to solo at 38 and discovered his state wanted two more years of documented hours before he could qualify. Dig out your old employment paperwork too and look for a non-compete, since some shops sneak those in and it changes how fast you can take customers with you.

Update: took the advice about pricing the job instead of hours and sat down with a few old invoices to practice quoting. Realized I have no idea what my overhead even is yet. Also called my insurance agent about a health plan gap and that number scared me more than the LLC paperwork did. Gonna line up a couple side jobs under my current license before I cut loose. The schedule board still hasn't changed.