Ever thought of running a home based business? You could save time on the daily commute, keep the hours that suit you, and enjoy the benefits of being your own boss.
Many people see this as their dream way to work, but it might seem like an impossible dream.
Where should you begin? Could you really make it work? Working from home is easier than most people realise, but it does require discipline.
If you're self-motivated and capable to sticking to a schedule even when there's no-one else around to tell you what to do, you might have got what it takes.
Running your own business is always going to be hard work, but doing it from home can make a lot of things easier.
A home based business doesn't cost as much to start and it doesn't cost as much to run.
Dealing with the bank and the tax office is simpler.
If it doesn't work out, you have a lot less to lose.
This means that it's much easier for you to take your business idea and run with it.
What sort of businesses work when based at home? If you have a good broadband internet connection, you have the potential to do business all over the world; alternatively, you can use part of your home as an office from which to run a local service.
Retail businesses can require you to find a lot of storage space, so most people running home based businesses prefer to stick to service industry and small scale manufacturing work.
Think about the business skills you have which you could put to use this way.
Think about what you enjoy doing - it's much easier to work hard if you're doing something which is fun and worthwhile.
After all, being able to focus on what you enjoy is one of the biggest benefits of running your own business.
Being based at home has a lot of other benefits.
You won't need to face the traffic in the morning, and if you feel unwell it's okay to have an extra hour in bed provided you make up for it later.
If you're a parent, you can fit the activities of your home based business around school hours so that you get to spend more time with your children.
For many disabled people and carers, a home based business can provide employment opportunities which simply wouldn't be there otherwise.
Retired people may enjoy running this kind of business part time.
It can open up a whole new world.
If you have an idea which you want to turn into a business, why not get started today? A visit to your local library or a browse around the internet can let you know about local services available to people like you.
Many start-up projects are eligible for grants and low-rate loans to help them buy the equipment they need.
You can also get free advice on how to put together a business plan which will help you work out the viability of your project.
You can look up other companies working in the same area to find out how much they charge for their products or services, to help you work out what you should be charging, and you can examine the way they advertise to work out how you can go about getting publicity.
After all, no-one will buy from you if they don't know you're there.
Although it takes ingenuity and hard work, running a home based business is within reach of everyone who really wants it.
You may have to struggle to begin with, but after that you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that everything you earn is down to you.
While your former colleagues continue to toil away at the nine to five, you'll be living your dream.
Many people see this as their dream way to work, but it might seem like an impossible dream.
Where should you begin? Could you really make it work? Working from home is easier than most people realise, but it does require discipline.
If you're self-motivated and capable to sticking to a schedule even when there's no-one else around to tell you what to do, you might have got what it takes.
Running your own business is always going to be hard work, but doing it from home can make a lot of things easier.
A home based business doesn't cost as much to start and it doesn't cost as much to run.
Dealing with the bank and the tax office is simpler.
If it doesn't work out, you have a lot less to lose.
This means that it's much easier for you to take your business idea and run with it.
What sort of businesses work when based at home? If you have a good broadband internet connection, you have the potential to do business all over the world; alternatively, you can use part of your home as an office from which to run a local service.
Retail businesses can require you to find a lot of storage space, so most people running home based businesses prefer to stick to service industry and small scale manufacturing work.
Think about the business skills you have which you could put to use this way.
Think about what you enjoy doing - it's much easier to work hard if you're doing something which is fun and worthwhile.
After all, being able to focus on what you enjoy is one of the biggest benefits of running your own business.
Being based at home has a lot of other benefits.
You won't need to face the traffic in the morning, and if you feel unwell it's okay to have an extra hour in bed provided you make up for it later.
If you're a parent, you can fit the activities of your home based business around school hours so that you get to spend more time with your children.
For many disabled people and carers, a home based business can provide employment opportunities which simply wouldn't be there otherwise.
Retired people may enjoy running this kind of business part time.
It can open up a whole new world.
If you have an idea which you want to turn into a business, why not get started today? A visit to your local library or a browse around the internet can let you know about local services available to people like you.
Many start-up projects are eligible for grants and low-rate loans to help them buy the equipment they need.
You can also get free advice on how to put together a business plan which will help you work out the viability of your project.
You can look up other companies working in the same area to find out how much they charge for their products or services, to help you work out what you should be charging, and you can examine the way they advertise to work out how you can go about getting publicity.
After all, no-one will buy from you if they don't know you're there.
Although it takes ingenuity and hard work, running a home based business is within reach of everyone who really wants it.
You may have to struggle to begin with, but after that you'll have the satisfaction of knowing that everything you earn is down to you.
While your former colleagues continue to toil away at the nine to five, you'll be living your dream.