Starting a business is a dream for many employees in India, but most never make the leap. Despite having ideas, skills, and even savings, something often holds people back. A Bengaluru-based Chartered Accountant has recently explained why this happens and why so many people keep postponing their entrepreneurial plans.
A Chartered Accountant from Bengaluru, Meenal Goel, highlighted in a LinkedIn post that the problem is not a lack of ideas or talent but something much simpler: the “comfort trap.” According to her, this trap quietly grows over time, making it increasingly difficult to leave a stable job for a business venture.
“Most employees dream of starting a business. 98% never do. Here's the real reason. It's not lack of ideas or skills. It's something simpler. The Comfort Trap.”
She lays out how this unfolds year by year:
Year 1: 'I'll start once I save ₹10 lakhs.' Currently saved: ₹2 lakhs.
Year 2: Salary increased to ₹12L. New target: 'Let me save ₹15 lakhs to be safe.'
Year 3: Got promoted. Bought a car on EMI. New thought: 'I can't leave now, I have EMIs.'
Year 5: Salary now ₹18L. Married. Kids. Final decision: 'Maybe after retirement.'”
“This cycle kills 98% of entrepreneurial dreams. Every salary increase makes entrepreneurship HARDER, not easier.”
With rising income, lifestyle expectations grow, responsibilities multiply, and the perceived risk of leaving a job increases.
“Because your lifestyle inflates with your income, your responsibilities multiply, and suddenly you have too much to lose. The employee earning ₹5L/year has better odds of starting than the one earning ₹20L because they have less to lose and nothing tying them down.”
She stresses that waiting for the “perfect” moment or perfect savings often leads to indefinite postponement.
Her advice is clear: “The only right time to start is when you decide to start. Your savings goal will keep increasing, your lifestyle will keep demanding more, and your fear will keep finding new reasons to wait. Start now. Start small. Start scared. But start.”
She ends with a thought-provoking question that has resonated online: “Because 5 years from now, you'll either be an entrepreneur who tried or an employee still planning to start 'next year.' What's stopping you from starting?”
A Chartered Accountant from Bengaluru, Meenal Goel, highlighted in a LinkedIn post that the problem is not a lack of ideas or talent but something much simpler: the “comfort trap.” According to her, this trap quietly grows over time, making it increasingly difficult to leave a stable job for a business venture.
How the ‘comfort trap’ builds over time
In her post, Goel explains a pattern that many working professionals may recognize. Initial plans to start a business often begin with simple targets like saving a certain amount. But these targets keep moving as income rises and life gets busier.“Most employees dream of starting a business. 98% never do. Here's the real reason. It's not lack of ideas or skills. It's something simpler. The Comfort Trap.”
She lays out how this unfolds year by year:
Year 1: 'I'll start once I save ₹10 lakhs.' Currently saved: ₹2 lakhs.
Year 2: Salary increased to ₹12L. New target: 'Let me save ₹15 lakhs to be safe.'
Year 3: Got promoted. Bought a car on EMI. New thought: 'I can't leave now, I have EMIs.'
Year 5: Salary now ₹18L. Married. Kids. Final decision: 'Maybe after retirement.'”
Why higher salaries can delay entrepreneurship
Goel points out that higher salaries don’t necessarily make taking the leap easier—they can make it harder.“This cycle kills 98% of entrepreneurial dreams. Every salary increase makes entrepreneurship HARDER, not easier.”
With rising income, lifestyle expectations grow, responsibilities multiply, and the perceived risk of leaving a job increases.
“Because your lifestyle inflates with your income, your responsibilities multiply, and suddenly you have too much to lose. The employee earning ₹5L/year has better odds of starting than the one earning ₹20L because they have less to lose and nothing tying them down.”
Her own decision to quit at peak salary
Goel shared her personal experience as an example. “I quit my job at ₹28L/year, not because I had ₹50L saved, but because I realized one more year of comfort equals one more year of delaying my dream.”She stresses that waiting for the “perfect” moment or perfect savings often leads to indefinite postponement.
Her advice is clear: “The only right time to start is when you decide to start. Your savings goal will keep increasing, your lifestyle will keep demanding more, and your fear will keep finding new reasons to wait. Start now. Start small. Start scared. But start.”
She ends with a thought-provoking question that has resonated online: “Because 5 years from now, you'll either be an entrepreneur who tried or an employee still planning to start 'next year.' What's stopping you from starting?”
