as said, depends on a few things...

Current climate for your business field
Your ability to generate work
your contacts and influence to ensure work comes to you
Your ability to do the job
The competition in your field.

I am self employed, well, run my own firm with my mate and with a couple of lads working for us, we do ok, and to my mates we most likely appear to be flush, BUT we work bloddy hard and put the hours in, plus can't just switch off at the end of the day as any worries for the business are OUR worries.

Ok, we may have a few quid more in our pockets and a bit more freedom, but you earn that etc dosh, and when things get hard, it is YOU that have to suffer financially and mentally.

Still wouldn't have it any other way though!