Yes, at some point you and someone else in your trade have to team up to start your own business and hire younger men to do the work. I know of tradesmen that have survived (and some thrived) by banning together to merge their businesses to reduce their overhead and increase their access to capital. Blue-collar guys always want to "lone wolf" their business and hardly ever think to partner with the guys they trust/ respect in their trade. My advice to any young man going into the trades is to identify their peers who are smart and approach them about starting a business together. That's the only way you can transition to being a manager and maintain your independence.