When I was the Buyer for a chain of bike shops I basically became like a co-owner. I managed to link up all of the point of sale systems merge all the preseason ordering so that it was centralized and I could negotiate better terms on inventory. I managed all data entry and got the system unified so that it was easy to search our stores and available products from distributors. I took on responsibilities and improved the place well enough that I set my own hours and could do whatever I wanted. I was the boss but without any people drama responsibilities. I could set other peoples schedules and arrange for anyone I wanted to work with, but like I never told people what to do or had any of the negatives of managing. Like, “I am just doing X, Y, and Z today and if you’d like to help, come join me, otherwise I’ll do it myself.” Working with me, my style, and taking on responsibility without being told is how people got a pay bump. No one ever talked about it, but if I asked for someone to work with me across a couple of schedules, the owner bumped their pay. I loved that I could work a few hours before the shop opened or a few after it closed and have the whole place to myself. If I wanted to do a weekday race or it was just a nice day for a ride, I just left and went riding. I picked my demo bike and custom gear to ride and constantly got new stuff given to me. It was a fun life more than a job. The pay sucked, but it was fun.