Depends on how you look at it. By buying shares you become a part owner of an already existing biz. If you start your own business would you not have the option of selling it one day??

As someone who is doing both (business and stocks) I get to experience the best and worst of both worlds. Started in stocks in 2008 when I joined wazua and was still in campus. Got bored with stocks, and stumbled into the business world in 2009/10.

I admire the Chris Kirubi/Mama Ngina model, do business and dabble into stocks at the same time (Centum/KPLC). My advice is, if you can do both, do it. The rush I get whenever we close business deals, watching the balance sheet grow and the cash-flow going from negative to positive, banks harassing you to take loans, people requesting to be investors/shareholders, landlords begging you to hire their retail spaces, you will never get that rush anywhere else. I do agree that businesses not for the faint-hearted, if you don't like hard, dirty work, keep away and stick to stocks coz hautatoboa.

As long as there's someone out there more ignorant than you who has a higher level of greed..even a crap stock you hold will make you money.. You just need to stroke his greed.