The 57-year-old former Intel engineer lives comfortably in Reston, Va., where he runs his one-man luggage company, answers only to himself and pockets a low six-figure income.

It doesn’t look so glamorous from where he sits.

Chernoff and his 16-year-old luggage firm, called SkyRoll, have weathered two recessions, a retail downturn, occasional problems in his supply chain and an 18 percent import-duty tax (it came to $100,000 last year) that the curmudgeonly businessman really, really dislikes.

“It is analogous to having a bloodsucking parasite attached to your body, except it’s the federal government and they attach themselves to my wallet,” he said.