If I was so motivated to invest in smart business propositions, I wouldn't just invest my own money, I would borrow as much as I could to invest. In fact, I might ONLY invest money I had borrowed, via an LLC to protect my own assets in the case of a meltdown. I would probably quit my day job to do this and try to get rich. Many people work this way. But most of such investments are cyclical and when the bottom falls out, as it inevitably does, the losses can be staggering. I know many small business investors in Texas who have done well but most have been bankrupt at some point, despite all their hard work. The only people I can think of who have weathered the storms of the past 30-odd years fairly well have had solid family income from land ownership with mineral rights. YMMV. Good luck!