I left a corporate job with a good salary and benefits to start my business. I use to tell people that I worked twice the hours for half the money, so I was effectively making 1/4th what I use to make for my efforts. With the only benefit being the additional stress!

Then people would say, "Yeah, but you are your on boss." You need to be a special kind of person to start your own business and be successful. You can't "need" a paycheck. (You get paychecks from an employer.) Have lots of money in the bank! You need to thrive on stress and conflict. Getting vendors, employees and customers to all do what they say they will, the first time, is almost impossible.

10 plus years later, I make about what I did 13 plus years ago. If the economy stays stable for the next 15 years, I hope to retire. What are the chances of that?

Good luck if you join the ranks.