You could make it on 100 hives if you dont have dearths meaning always make at least 75lbs of honey and sell it all at retail for $5 a pound (37,500), and can sell 100 nucs for 100 dollars profit ($10,000) and can live modestly. Done forget you have expenses too, equipment, feed, treatments. Also Dont forget when your self employed you are now paying 15% not 7.5% s.o.c. and will have to pay all other stuff employers pay for employees. Unless you are married and your spouse can cover you, you need to pay for your own health insurance which will cost at least 8-10k for something decent. How much will be left after all this? If that is more than you make now and your ready to roll the dice good luck.
I figure I need at least what I explained and a part time job making close to 20k to get by until I have more like 200 colonies, can easily sell 200 nucs and 40-60k in honey a year. Its nice to dream but until you have the money coming in you are just living a fantasy. If you own a home on 80 acres of prime forage you have a nice head start. I am lucky enough to have family that are retired dairy farmers and have enough locations to keep 200 colonies without having to hunt land or buy it. I dont own a home, am buying about 26 acres and plan to build. Thats a lot of cash to come up with over the next 10 years if I dont want to rent forever.