There are more than half a million small businesses in New Zealand. Photo / 123RF
I have never had to depend on my own wits or risk my own financial security for a living.
I have never, until just recently, been self-employed. I have just sold myself to employers all my working life.
My choice - it was just easier, and, being basically reasonably tired with little or no ambition when it comes to work, I somehow always managed to score reasonable jobs.
Mostly in that well-known institution for the less-ambitious individual: the public service.
Decent salaries, straight hours, good superannuation scheme, clean environment, and no real responsibility for any decisions I made.
I would never risk losing my house or all my savings due to a bad decision or a mistaken strategy.
Of course, I could get fired, but one has to be pretty awful to be fired from the public service.
I am, at present, what is quaintly described as a "sole trader". I now pay ACC levies as a self-employed person.
I have an accountant and I must report in yearly to that huge monolith of the state, the Inland Revenue Department, on the humble amount of shekels I have gathered during the previous year.
My accountancy fees and ACC levies soak up a good portion of my earnings from scribing.
I'm not getting rich, but it's still enjoyable anyway.
I have many friends and acquaintances who are small business owners - people who have put their reputations, savings, and often homes on the line to run a business, to employ other people, to fulfil a long-held dream and, hopefully, to make a buck.
I admire these people; always have. They are truly brave, mostly hugely innovative, very bright, and in many cases, visionary.
A small business in New Zealand is defined as a business with fewer than 20 employees.
There are approximately 530,000 small businesses in New Zealand, representing 97 per cent of all firms. They account for 28 per cent of employment and contribute over a quarter of New Zealand's gross domestic product.
Business is a risk; many fail. In fact, overall, most do.
In New Zealand, 96 per cent of small businesses fail in the first two years. Ninety-six.
That's a lot. That means just one out of 25 businesses manages to get through their first two years (MBIE data shows failure rate per company based on the number of employees).
Why, then, would anyone want to go into their own business? Well, not everybody lacks ambition and drive, is risk-averse, and does not mind not being rich.
Some love a challenge and are willing to bet the bank on it. Thank goodness for those people.
They employ over a quarter of our workforce, themselves included. Many change our society forever.
Many have an idea or a vision that could be ground-breaking, and are brave enough to make it a reality.
On the above statistic, sadly, most will fail.
But then they may go on to another venture. You see, people who enjoy business are usually resilient enough to pick themselves up, brush themselves off and get back on the horse.
Of course, one good reason to be your own boss is just that - no hierarchy of personalities above you telling you what to do. I suppose that's a superficial reason, really.
If you are in business, you face more pressure than any employee does from an employer or manager.
The IRD is watching, ACC levies need to be paid for you and all your staff, wages, premises and chattels need to be paid for and updated regularly to stay competitive; customer service is paramount if you want the punters to keep coming in the door.
Markets fluctuate, good times come and go, and what is a good little business this year could be a disaster next year.
Our country would not be the place it is, would not be a small but very wealthy country, if not for the farmers, factory owners, service business people, shopkeepers, the professions, the tourist operators and many more who, every day, get up knowing that today they have to perform to make their business work and pay.
They have to deal with staff or a lack of staff. They have to handle staff issues where things often can and do go awry, costing them dearly in lost time and perhaps even litigation.
They have to deal with upset customers while still trying to maintain their business relationships. Without customers or clients they cannot operate.
Why do they bother? Many come from families with strong business histories.
Its just what they do. They're people who were raised in a business environment, wired that way, maybe even raised with a family expectation that they will go on to enter the business world.
The traders and merchants of our modern world. Thank goodness for them, I say.