Many years ago I was leaving a job as a vice president at a market-research firm to go out on my own when several of the other four vice presidents at the firm suggested I was crazy to do that. Their worry was security, family and so on. My wife and I had four small kids at the time.
I left anyhow, and I didn’t feel any more at risk on my own than I was with the salary. “You’re only as safe as your billings in this small firm anyhow,” I told them. That turned out to be ominously true. They were out of their jobs within the next two years. All four of them.
I was reminded of this by Steve King’s post Do Small Business Owners Have More Job Security and Personal Time? on Small Business Labs last week. Steve gives us research from Ace Hardware that seems to say this (his words):
So small business owners feel their jobs are more secure and they have more flexibility, independence and personal time. Sounds pretty good–if you make it.
Interesting for entrepreneurs. But remember, with all research like this, consider it food for thought, and stay skeptical.
Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software and Bplans.com. Follow him on Twitter @Timberry.
