A news release today announced that an estimated 1.5 million still-unemployed Americans will run out of their unemployment benefits by the end of the year. That’s 1.5 million families who have gone from a steady paycheck to no income at all over 2009. The news article goes on to say that there are currently five people seeking employment for every one job opening available. Not good odds. At this point, anyone with a useful skill set and a willingness to work should be considering starting their own business.

If these recessions teach us anything, it should be that working for others is no guarantee of security. While it’s true that some small businesses are closing as well, most of those failures can be traced back to the owners’ failure to properly manage the business in the first place. The downside of starting a business in a strong economy is that there is less pressure to keep an eye on the details. Starting now, when very little capital is available and sales are tight, business owners are forced to really look at where the money comes in and where it goes out. Most small businesses are NOT failing during this recession – those business owners were prepared to respond to the changing market. Yes, they may have had to lay off workers, but those owners still have a job.

If you are thinking about starting a business, now is as good of a time as any, perhaps even better. Don’t let an irrational fear stop you – for many workers, this recession has forced them to face all their fears at once. Owning your own business at least gives you the power and responsibility for your own success or failure. If you decide to go out on your own, also decide to do it the right way. Take control of your work life and financial future…start your own business.

Start here. Go far. LaunchX.com