More than 4 million people currently have good fortune of working from home. From major corporations letting their key people set up a home office to many inspiring home based business owners. Having ability to set your own hours is key benefit in choosing to work from home.

Home based businesses are continuing to grow at an incredible rate. The Internet has opened a window of opportunity for business ventures that were once impossible to build in a home office environment. The Small Business Administrations Office of Advocacy claims over 50 percent of all small businesses are home based and will continue to grow.

Working from home is not always a bed of roses. It is common for most that work from home to become workaholics. Having your work or business accessible 24 hours a day makes it hard to know when to quit for day.

The fact is that working from home is enjoyable and you can get sucked into becoming a slave to your home business. You need to know when to step back and smell roses. Setting up specific work hours for each day is key to not falling into a workaholic bottomless pit.

When it is quitting time - turn off computer and turn volume on phone or answering machine down low. Take charge of your home business – do not let it take charge of you.

1. Dissatisfied with their present employment situation.

2. Out of work due to being laid off or downsizing by their employer.

3. A need to be home more with young children, an infirm family member, or aging parents. 4. A yearning to be their own boss. Whatever your particular reason for exploring a home-based business, there are a few common steps you need to take in order to launch your business.

First off, you need to come to grips with reality...be realistic in your expectations. Far too many folks read advertisements that are hype and imply quick money, and lots of it, from a home-based business start-up. It will certainly take a year, and in some cases it may take up to three years, before you begin to truly make a significant profit from your business.

I have helped a large number of people start up their own home-based businesses using Internet. Over time, I have come to recognize two of most important factors for identifying people that should NOT start a home based business. If a prospective entrepreneur says something like...

"I'm broke and need to make some money, fast!"

or,

"I want to start a home-based business, but I don't want to spend anything on it until after I start earning some money."

...it is certain that they have not addressed reality and, with that mindset, they will most certainly fail.

It takes a lot of time to successfully market and promote a new business. If you are planning a home-based business in order to spend a lot of time with young children or care for elderly, a full-time business (and income) may not be a realistic objective.