It is not an exaggeration.  I was with EJ for three years.  My best year with them was a shade over $50k.  I left Jones late in the year and had received checks totallying $110k by May of the following year.  Taking into account my cut is now 85% and I was getting 38% at EJ it wasn't hard to change the algebra and double my income while doing the same amount of business.  My business increased immediately after I left.  Yes, when I saw I was going to leave I sandbagged some new money into my business.  One can legitimately ask about my overhead, which was previously covered by Jones.  My cost for rent, furnishing, advertising, etc. for the first year was under $20k.  My total revenues, first year in business,were a bit less than $250k.  I do not have an assistant, but the use of technology, which was not available from EJ has more than offset the loss of a BOA.  My gross revenues (NOT GDC) for 2008 were a bit more than $300k, my net was about $250k.