You have a job, and you say you could never run a business?

That might be true.

Except, in a sense, you’re already running one.

You persuaded a customer (your employer) to pay you in return for you providing a thing (your time / expertise / effort).

You’re running a business, with one client taking all your time.

Why is this framing relevant?

1. It forces you to look at why has the employer employed me? This is a question that many people never really ask. But it has implications—not least in getting promotions and negotiating significantly better salary. Businesses don’t hand out money for fun. They’re paying you because they believe that one way or another you will make/save them more money than you cost. How much more? Well, maybe significantly more, which gives you a very solid foundation for earning more.
2. It makes you realise that running a business really isn’t complicated¹. You already have something of value that you are selling to a client. Once you know exactly what that is, you can start to see how many other clients might value it too. Maybe there’s a way you can package and provide that same thing to lots of other clients, and in a way that uses much less than 40 hours of your week. Congratulations, you have a business.

1. Though it is often difficult. ↩