A small percentage of startups succeed. I’ve read anywhere from 10% to 30% last more than a couple of years.

It isn’t easy, but the results are worth it.

I think you should look into what pct. of startup businesses succeed, in various industries. A big problem is you need what the owners in society have – capital.

You are working for your customers, but unlike with regular employment you can fire your customers if they are not working out for you. You also have control over when you work, control over the kind of work you do, who you take on, and your income is far more related (in the long run) to what you do. Definitely not for everyone though.

When you can customize your work in this way and you are not making money for a company or making money for your boss, then you are definitely working for yourself. It’s a big difference.

In some ways I feel that self-employment is actually less risky today than regular employment, which is a topic I’ll delve into later on.

And there is no such thing as working for yourself. If you are self-employed you are working for your customers. They decide your fate.

Regarding Scott’s comments about self-employment, it is true that if you are afraid of work, self-employment is not for you. You have to put up with litle pay and long hours when you begin. (Usually, unless you have a low startup cost and can maintain your venture on the side.)

The whole point of self-employment is flexiblity, freedom, and your direct connection to your earnings. What you make is no longer necessarily an houly thing, but you have a direct connection to it based on what you do. You are not longer making money for someone else, but instead for yourself. And, as Victoria says, the payoff at the end can be hugely rewarding.