It’s Time To Start Your Own Business.

The latest news from the Bureau of Labor Statistics is not inspiring—the national unemployment in June was a whopping 9.2%. Get a room of ten Americans together, and statistically, slightly less than one of them does not have a job.

If you’re scouring Craigslist and newspaper job sections, the national unemployment rate is more than a number; you feel the nation’s employment situation tangibly. The amount of people applying for a single job is staggering. As overly qualified workers are applying to jobs below their typical pay grade, you’re up against some stiff competition, and sometimes the job hunt can seem fruitless.

You’re a dedicated, hard-working, valuable part of the job market, and any employer would be lucky to have you. But with the sheer numbers of job-seekers out there, the prospect is daunting to say the least. How can you take control of your career?

Beat the statistic—be your own boss.

It’s never been a better time to start your own business. If you’ve been thinking about starting your own business but you haven’t done it yet here are three reasons that now is a great time to make the plunge:

• Creating jobs is good for the country, and good for your pocket.

If you can’t find anyone to give you a paycheck, it might be time to write your own paycheck. Depending on the structure of your business, you have the opportunity to set yourself up with a company-matched 401k (and any employees you take on, for that matter), which gives you a great opportunity to build your nest egg without even thinking about it. Living your golden years completely supported by social security is a thing of the past. Take charge of your own retirement.

• Being your own boss is the ultimate freedom.

Tired of dealing with the corporate ladder? Build your own ladder, climb immediately to the top rung, and look around. Yes, your ladder might start out as more of a step-stool. But you have nowhere to go but up, and no one above you to hold you down. The parameters of your business are completely up to you.

• You can start a small business without a bank loan.

We’ve all heard the horror stories: there just aren’t any loans out there. Banks aren’t lending. It’s impossible to find investors these days.

Sure, traditional methods of getting your hands on startup capital aren’t as available as they used to be. But that’s OK. First, not all businesses require startup capital. Consider a DBA, or Doing Business As: if you’re starting a business the doesn’t require you to lease a building, collect a great deal of inventory, or rent warehousing space, a sole proprietorship might be a good business for you to start. A sole proprietorship doesn’t give you liability, but some small business owners without a lot of funds tied up in overhead are perfectly fine with that. It’s a simple, low-cost way of starting a business.

If you do require a significant amount of startup capital, all is not lost: Kickstarter is an amazing new company that puts entrepreneurs and creative artists in touch with the public, who can invest. Their business model is perfect—individual investors like you or I pledge whatever amount of money we decide on to projects that we feel have value and we want to see get off the ground. If the goal for the project isn’t met by the deadline, no money changes hands—and if it is, investors typically receive some sort of discount or sample as thanks for the startup assistance. (For a low price of $10, I was lucky enough to be involved in a documentary about the Chinese dissident/artist, Ai Weiwei. In return, I’m going to receive a free digital download whenever the project is finished. Where else can you invest in something you’re passionate about for a mere ten bucks?)

There’s one other great thing about starting your business now: Click and Inc has all the support you need to start and grow your business. Take a look at our information on starting a business to find out how we can help and learn a little more about the different types of businesses out there, and get started!