Most U.S. adults want to be their own boss, but aren't doing it—these 3 expert-endorsed tips can make it easier

For many people, being your own boss is the ultimate dream — but most Americans aren’t actually doing it.

Sixty-two percent of U.S. adults want to be their own boss one day, according to a Gallup survey published on June 6. A fraction of them take the jump into entrepreneurship: There are currently 36.2 million small businesses in the U.S., compared with roughly 258.3 million total U.S. adults, according to data from the Small Business Administration and U.S. Census Bureau.

Full-time entrepreneurship is easy to dream about, and notoriously difficult to succeed at. You might set your own hours, but you’ll probably work more than 40 hours per week to build your business, gain funding, find paying customers, develop a competitive edge and ultimately earn enough money to live on.

DON’T MISS: The ultimate guide to starting a business—everything you need to know to be your own boss

On September 2, CNBC Make It conducted an informal survey of our Instagram followers, asking: What’s holding you back from starting your own business right now? The most common responses included finances, fear of failure and a lack of business knowledge.