If You Don't Have a Job, Create One?

During CNN's Ali Velshi's "Your Money" segment today, the topic was the rate of start-ups. He reported the rate of start-ups is at its highest in 15 years, giving the tagline of the topic "if you don't have a job, create one". Some of the figures given: 

• 565,000 businesses created per month in 2010 
• of those 0.1% hired employees 
• the demographics most likely to create a business: age group 25-34, high school dropouts, and immigrants

Velshi gave two quick interpretations of the figures, 1. a significant amount  of the unemployed are taking matters into their own hands and creating their own job and 2. unfortunately, they are not creating jobs for others. His correspondent on the topic (forgive me, I don't remember her name) stated for these businesses to start hiring they would need more funding.

About 3 weeks ago, I was reading an advice column in a Elle magazine and a single mother asked how can she get a job when she has been unemployed for about a year and most jobs only hire people who do not have gaps in their work history. The response from E. Jean, the advice writer was for the reader to create a business. Just like that... create your business if you don't have a job. It doesn't sound realistic to me. Clearly, Velshi's segment shows that those who can start businesses have gone out and done so. To advise a reader who may not have the resources or funds to start a business to go out and do so is not advice.  

It's great that some have taken the sole proprietorship route. This is a great time to become self-employed, if you can, but not everyone has the resources to do so. Lack of resources is also the reason why some of new businesses can't hire others. Although, realistically, if you create a business for yourself because you couldn't find a job, your top priority is turning a profit and making up for lost income.

If you don't have job, but have the resources and dedication to create a business, make your own job. For those who lack resources or who have no interest in starting a business, I would say to look for advice from someone who can realistically advise you on your next move. Ali Velshi can give you the facts, but writing into fashion magazines might be a bad move. 

p.s. sorry for the lack of posts, my mac is in the apple store so my resources have been limited