I have been taking classes with the local Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) to write a business plan. I have learned capital is key. According to my projections, and I am told this is semi-common, the first two years would be sunk costs and profit would start into the third year. Others have somebody else with an income and their business is not the only income. On whole, I believe people who work "in an office" (which now can be "work from anywhere" in many professions) generally have higher individual net balance at the end of the day - except those who are able to grow to $20M or higher in revenues.

If you have sufficient money, then a business can be a place to generate income ... generally, it takes a job to get that income or pawning your house. Few will do a private placement and raise funds through equity capital. Business that can be started with low barriers will soon be saturated, e.g., Bitcoin mining.

However, I will add that another option is changing industries. That can lead to different culture, income and satisfaction. I am considering that, right now, because the industry in which I work is too authoritarian.