After 8 months of working for a brand new buisness I became the lead associate, making a dollar more an hour than my peers who began at the same time. Which I find kind of weird since they did their job as well as I did. The owners would constantly arrive after I had already opened and prepped their storefront without training, would leave their baby to crawl around inside the back of the storefront, and would also constantly harass and belittle other employees because they weren't the good little slaves that I was.
Ultimately in the first year of buisness for this model I had collectively more hours spent on the buisness than the owners and began to ask why? They told me they were looking for a manager at that very time and asked me if I wanted to take over the entire operation for just a dollar more an hour.
I ended up declining the offer and the very next day my boss told me I was going to be the manager/reciever/consultant/sales overview without a choice. Tells me they need someone to do these things and that they cannot find anyone else, keep in mind i am 22 at this time and they are 40+ with multiple degrees between themselves.
Flat out told me I would have to assume this responsibility without compensation or I would be fired. Reluctantly because I was making okay money I agreed because no would have ment the loss of my job.
The next day I parked in the lot and had a long think to myself that I had done so much groundwork for these people and they truly didn't care that I didnt want to assume this responsibility so I texted my boss that I quit and drove home. 2 months later the buisness shut down even with 6 other employees and the help of the 2 owners. Are you ment to tell me that they ran a buisness off of the back of a 22yo?!
I always feel bad thinking about this because I know it was my presence that produced so many customers for them, but was it really just me who set this in motion? None of the others quit when I did they just continued to work, why did they shut down officially I could never say but the timing was uncanny. Did I really let down these people?
This led to me being unemployed for 6 months and by the end of it I felt horrible for leaving, but after so many positions where I was the hardest worker and the least payed I couldn't help but leave them to their own devices. Did I make the right choice?