Although this program is only offered in Canada, there are similar programs offered in most other areas, whether you are in United States or anywhere else in world. Check your local phone book or small business magazines for more information.

For myself, decision to become self-employed was something that just felt right at time. I had spent a number of years running my father’s lawn care company from my home. During that time, I had helped friends, family and acquaintances with everything from typing projects for them to designing their marketing material. So when time came for my dad to retire, it just seemed natural to do what I had been doing for many years....providing word processing and desktop publishing services. Then, with increase in use of Internet, I learned to design websites.

So, if you are thinking of starting your own business, it is recommended that you do plenty of research. You have to see if type of business you want to start is viable in your area. Is there a need for your product or service by people or businesses in your community? Whether you will be looking for funding or not, you need to do a business plan. In process of putting it together, you will have a better understanding of what you are doing and where you are going.

If you need help with certain aspects when building your business, such as promotion or putting together influential marketing material, there are many companies that specialize in taking some of pressure off of your shoulders. Not all will be listed in phone books yet, so you need to keep your eyes and ears open for mention of these companies.

Remember that not all small businesses are overnight successes. It takes plenty of work. Long hours with very little reward in beginning. But, each time a new client or customer comes on board, you will feel butterflies in your stomach and a smile on your face. Use that feeling of exhilaration as your energy source and combine it with other relevant information that you acquire. Knowledge isn’t power...Action is!

Other personal interruptions, such as your kids running into your office and asking you to bring up a web site they just saw listed on Family Channel, or your spouse wanting to share some local gossip, don’t have to break your concentration. These interruptions can be controlled. Be sure that when you are in middle of anything of importance, that your family understands that you will be with them shortly and that usually what they need is not earth-shattering and can wait a few minutes.

Another interruption that can be controlled (or at least minimized) is time you spend going through all unwanted email that shows up. It’s actually a never ending step that has to be done but it is worse when you don’t do it. Most email programs and services give you option of putting certain email addresses on a blocked list or have any mail that comes in from a certain address moved automatically to Trash folder. By going directly there, you don’t spend time looking to see if email is anything of interest.

At times there may be interruptions from your daily routine that can’t be avoided, such as meetings or a trip to business supply store. For these types of interruptions, try to schedule them for same day… kill two (or more) birds with one stone. If you need to visit a client’s office, be sure to have a list ready of supplies you need to pick up at office supply store or other errands you may need to run that are in same area.

This is just a few ways to help minimize those things that come up during our busy days that we don’t have planned. Interruptions will continue to happen, usually on a daily basis. We just have to learn how to deal with them and still maintain our professionalism and productivity.