How's Being Self Employed Working Out For You?

It seems to me that 3-5 years ago, everyone was talking about entreprenuership and how owning your own business and living the american dream was where it was at. I was a huge part of that movement. I still believe that entreprenuership is a wonderful thing that is now so much more readily available with the technoligical age. You can live literally anywhere you like and work by means of cell phone, internet and fax machine. To this day I remain a rural entreprenuer and have worked with several rural entreprenuers assisting them in making their dreams come true and in turn making my own dreams a little closer to reality. Some I can say continue to plug along. Some are not enjoying the success in the amount of time that they hoped to. One has the potential to be extremely successful and a few more are simply hemoraging. So what does this mean about entreprenuership? What does it take to make it in the business world without a safety net? I was once at a convention for rural entreprenuers and the guest speaker likened independant business people as the extreme sport athletes of the business world. I agree. It takes a lot of hudspa to dive in, possibly leave what you have done for years to take on the business world, depend on the public and their need for your services to make not only a living wage for yourself and your family, but for your business to thrive. I have been talking to some of those people that made the leap with me and I can't say that all of them are still doing it alone. Many of them have decided to share their home business time with other jobs. What does this mean for the independant business person? Is entreprenuership on its' way out? It's it still thriving? Is it successful most of the time or only for a few? I want to know what you think. I want to know how you own independant businesses are working out for you. Please take a moment to leave me a comment or participate in the poll you see to your left. Its a subject that I have no answers for. I can only draw from my own experiences and those of my sole proprietorship friends, all too many of them who have recently locked their doors. Where does your business stand?