We all love the feeling of a weight being lifted off our shoulders. It usually comes with a sense of relief or accomplishment. Sometimes, we hit a wall. We get fear. Many times that fear is the fear of the unknown—of uncertainty. Franchisees and entrepreneurs experience this like anyone else. Often, that fear of uncertainty means we choose unhappiness instead.

What does it mean to be 50 in America—this monumental age where we’re no longer young but not yet old? For some, it means an empty nest (and not coincidentally a raft of tuition bills from the universities hosting our fledglings). For others, it means saying No More Excuses and starting the novel, taking the trip, or making the key career move that’s been a growing dream for years. And other feel it means reaching new heights on the corporate ladder.

By Pete Gilfillan, best-selling author of HIRE YOURSELF: Control Your Own Destiny through Franchise Ownership.

There are countless reasons for a corporate career to come to an end long before you’re ready to retire to your rocking chair:

As the owner of a startup business, you’re going to start out spending working capital—money you’ve set aside to live on and run your business with until it becomes profitable. In time, you can expect to reach a point where your business breaks even, when you’ll have more cash coming in than going out. When that happens, the business becomes self-sustaining. You have career security!

Financial security. Career stability. On the most basic level it’s what we all work for—the ability to hit the pillow at night knowing we are, and will continue to be, able to provide. It’s easy to think that once you’ve got a corporate job and a substantial paycheck, you’re set. But in this day and age, that’s a myth.

The fact is, the kind of career security and financial stability provided by corporate employers gets more fickle and fleeting with every passing year. As a franchise consultant who’s worked with countless candidates who got caught unprepared by corporate moves that pushed them down or out, I know from experience that if you want true career and income stability, you might want to start thinking about building it for yourself.