For some reason, there seems to be a certain group of people who want to learn stand-up comedy because they are out of work and want to make a mad dash for fame and fortune in entertainment.

Let me say this–with few exceptions, there is no rapid fame and fortune for ANY entertainment specialty. It takes time and skill. But I want to focus on stand-up comedy specifically.

If you are serious about pursuing stand-up comedy as an income base, the first thing to understand is that you are in business for yourself when you jump into stand-up comedy for pay. What will any professional tell you about being in business for yourself?

Being in business for yourself is a risky proposition, no matter what the business venture is. So here’s the real scoop…

As an entertainer, the risk is not so much about how much it costs to be in business for yourself (as a comedian there’s relatively little expense beyond education and local gas money until you need headshots and a website)…

It’s about what kind of income you will get in exchange for your time investment.

Unless you have the time (20+ minutes of solid A level comedy material) and the appropriate material for the corporate market or any market outside the comedy club market, it can take YEARS to get through the whole comedy club route before you even make a dime, much less a living from your comedy work.

Here’s the bottom line:

The best time to learn stand-up comedy is when you have some disposable income and some disposable time. The absolute worst time to learn stand-up comedy is when you are out of a job and broke.

Interestingly enough, I would tell you the EXACT same thing about attempting to start any business. However…

Make no mistake — stand-up comedy is a business — a potentially lucritive home based business, if you have a killer act and know what you are doing.

But that’s not what I am supposed to tell you. Since I have a stand-up comedy education product to sell, then every day is a good day to learn stand-up comedy, especially from me–right?

Well, that’s not the way I roll.

If you are out of work, work on getting your income base back on track before you take on a comedy career. Get a job, get two jobs if needed. Get you financial situation on track so that you can treat your stand-up comedy skill as a marketable and potentially profiable entertainment commodity.

Trying to learn stand-up comedy is challenging enough already when you do have a good job and a steady income.

But if you are inches away from living in your car…

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you may want to put off that stand-up comedy career for a bit, no matter how funny you may be.

Cheers,
Steve Roye
The Professor of Funny For Money

About the Author/Founder of The Stand-up Comedy Professional

Steve Roye is the author of the Killer Stand-up Comedy System and author of the content made available in the Comedy Pro Membership Program available on this site.

Over the past decade, Steve has established himself as a leading, globally recognized expert in the field of stand-up comedy material development, delivery and entertainment business strategies for comedy entertainers as well as speaking professionals.

For more information about Steve, please check out the About The Author section on this site.