I too, worked for a small business, in a skill trade.
I started at minimum wage, no benefits.
Flash forward a few months later, I became very proficient at my job, so much that it suprised my boss and his brother.
The only problem was that, I was doing $15 an hour work for $8 an hour, still, no benefits and that boss was a holy terror.
Walked into the temp office of a publicly traded manufacturer, started at more than the previous job, 3 months later I had medical, dental, 401k, profit sharing, ESPP, paid holidays, etc.
Those evil, evil corporations could pay me more than the local "mom and pop" small business could dream of.