Mechanic a good lucrative job?

I'm debating on whether or not to become an auto-mechanic for a living. It's something I'm really good at and I know I could do for a living. My dream is to one day own a small custom/ general shop. If anyone else has done this as a career can you give me pointers on how I should go about doing it, and how lucrative of a career is it to first work at a shop, and then how much more/ less do you make once you go on your own. I do plan to be an ASE master mechanic, I know that helps a lot with salary. Any input would be great.