How long is a piece of string? If you gain enough contracts, enough work, everything goes smoothly - absolutely.

But on the flip side, you could lose everything. Being employed comes with little risk. You go do the job, you get a salary each week, you go home. But running your own business is the opposite. At the start, you may have to spend in the 6-figures to establish. You have to deal with licensing, compliance, leasing a premises, purchasing vehicles, hiring staff etc. A lot of this stuff you’ll have to personally guarantee (so if the company fails, you’re personally liable). How will you get new clients?

If you just plan to work yourself without staff, what will your charge out be? Realistically, there’s some 250~ working days per year. You’ll need to bring in $600 + GST + income tax just for labour to pay your $150,000 salary. What will your plan be for sick days or if you get injured?

There’s a lot to think about, and yes, absolutely, give it a few years and you could be making big money, but it all comes down to your risk appetite and how much you can realistically put into it to get to that $400k+ a year take home figure.