I'm one of those. I understand the intent of this article. It's however unfortunate that the author has not come across enough success stories. Here is mine, which is arguably very small, but came out of exactly the same situation of an employee branching out:
* I saved, I was clear about not only what I like to do, but also what I'm good at.
* I couldn't get to it in my 20s, but I did get to it in my 30s.
* Yes, there was privilege, but not any more than so many of my friends and acquaintances have. I didn't come from money either.
* Yes, there was luck, but not any more than what I'd have needed to survive as an employee.
* Yes, there was agony of survival, still is, will continue to be, and only increase. But I expected that going in, and I carefully created a support system for it, which comes in handy in those tough times.
* Yes, there were unexpected events, including existential threats, but not any more than what I'd have had while working as an employee.
* It has only been a year and a half, and I'm in no position to sermonize, lecture and draw conclusions. But I know that I'm having a blast. I am answerable to nobody but reason, I have flexibility with my time like I never had, and I have immense satisfaction of being the first one to introduce a new useful thing to this planet and make an impact in lives of several of my customers.
But most importantly, it has afforded me life lessons which I'd have never had otherwise and I can accelerate my kids into. Yes, I'm making more than I'd have made in my job, but who is even looking at that?
[For the curious, I run this: http://InterviewKickstart.com]