Is this a fair argument?

[WestAussieGirl]

I agree that this would not be an effective argument.  I'm sure he truly believes he would do the necessary work.

My DH runs his own business.  It's successful but it comes at a very, very high cost to me and the children.  He works all.the.time.  He leaves for work at 6am, comes home for dinner at 6pm, and then is back at his desk by 7:30pm.  That's at least 6 days a week.  He rarely has time to throw a ball with the kids.  He didn't even take a full day off for the birth of either of our children (took the morning off both times).  He keeps thinking it will change, next month, next year etc but he's been at it for more than 10 years now and I don't see a difference (if anything he's working harder). 

Along with that personal cost, you have to keep in mind that every blow to the business is a blow to your personal budget.  It's a very hard road for the whole family and not one I would ever recommend.

[StarFaerie]

I would just say a certain percentage of start up work needs to be done before he quits current employment, so you can stay solvent and get the business started as soon as  possible after his employment ceases. If he is just talking the talk it might never get started but if he is ready to walk the walk he might end up convincing you.

Exactly what I was thinking.  I wouldn't bring up the perceived laziness.  I would suggest that most start up ventures take significant time to get off the ground.  Encourage him that if this is his passion and he wants to go for it, he needs to invest a lot of time and energy into getting it up and running while still maintaining his current job.  Then when it can be fairly supporting, he can quit his day job and completely invest in his entrepreneurial endeavor.

Plus 50% of small businesses fail in the first year and usually not because of anything done wrong either. They just run out of cash. So he'll need his current job to inject cash into the new business to keep it going in the first little while.