Tim--I can say been there, done that though not in California. Small business's biggest satisfaction is in being your own boss. You are under estimating the hours and overestimating the pay per hour for many businesses, no matter how lean a shop they run.
To those that think being able to do nothing but eat, sleep and dream quilting let me tell you that is just as boring as having to go to work all the time. Variety is the spice of life and the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. With retirement I had to rekindle some of my old passions and find some new ones all for the sake of a healthy marriage, body and brain.