[pjc50]

> isn't palatable to some people

And doesn't seem to be economically viable for everyone to do, or we'd already be doing it.

The main financial risk for people is that cashflow problems can lead pretty rapidly to homelessness or health deterioration.

[GFischer]

See Coase's Theory of the Firm. Technology is changing the equation by removing transaction costs, and you see more freelancers and self-employed and Uber drivers.

I agree that the current framework makes freelancers and self-employed more vulnerable to cashflow problems, and it's an issue.

I've seen some interesting ways to mitigate it, even in my own country (with affordable health services for small business owners but they have salary caps that exclude IT workers)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theory_of_the_firm

[hueving]

It is economically viable for massively more people to do it. The main issue is a lack of simple economics and business education in US high school graduates. Without that, people have no idea how to go about starting their own small businesses.