> What is stopping them from starting the business ? Resources, obviously. If someone is screwed enough to have to reach for pay-day loans, that indicates they

> What is stopping them from starting the business ? Resources, obviously. If someone is screwed enough to have to reach for pay-day loans, that indicates they don't have enough resources. Likely their other credit lines are maxed out and their social support nets are either completely dissolved or just as illiquid as the prospective borrower is. So they can't invest any starting capital into the investment. The second most important resource constraint they're going to be met with is time. Balancing commuting to work, keeping up the household, and full-time work of at least one job leaves you with an amount of time at the end of the day. Maybe they could invest that time into acquiring more marketable skills, but, hey, your lease is up in two months, and you just got the letter that inevitably tells you your rent is going up. Better start driving uber, trying to grab more hours, or doing whatever you need to to cover that new income gap that you'll be facing. > What is the answer ? There is no answer. You don't get conclusions when you're living in poverty in modern America. You just wake up every day and it's somehow worse than the day before.