I clearly remember the first time I ‘got it’.  I had been feeling unfulfilled and bored with my job for ages and longed to do something interesting and fun and stimulating but had no idea what.  Anyway, on this particular day we were driving through a town and I started really taking notice of all the buildings outside – mechanics, warehouses, cafes, retail stores.  It suddenly hit me that probably 90% of those businesses had been started by one person.  One person who was no different to you or I apart from the fact that they had decided to take a risk and take control of their own future by starting their own business.

People who start their own businesses are no different to anyone else – the majority aren’t born with any big advantage (ok some are but a lot aren’t) over the rest of us.  The only difference is that at some point in their life they decided to take an idea they had and run with it. 

The main thing you need to start your own business isn’t money or an original idea – it’s confidence.  If you really believe you can do it then you will.  Once you have that confidence in yourself and your business idea, you will be amazed at how others will believe in you too.

As reported in the Telegraph today, women in NSW are bearing the brunt of the recession with the number of females in full time jobs plunging 15,000 in just one month.  Whether this is because more women tend to work in the sectors which have been badly hit such as retail, hospitality etc is unclear.

If you have been made redundant in recent times, make sure that you are fully aware of your entitlements and take heart from the fact that what may appear to be terrible news may in actual fact be an opportunity in disguise. 

Redundancy is a very common trigger for many would be entrepreneurs and is often cited as the incentive for former employees to take control of their future and start their own business.  If you have received a redundancy payout and intend to use that to help fund a new venture, make sure that you give yourself a defined period of time to judge whether or not it looks like being successful (hopefully you will be able to make that decision before the payout runs out) and that you put together a detailed budget of all set up costs.

Many people have ideas for new products or new businesses but don't follow through because they talk themselves out of it - 'It's a stupid idea', 'there are too many similar things/businesses out there', 'if it was a good idea someone would have done it before' etc......

Well - here is as much proof as you should need that there is always someone who will buy something!

A US company, Fetchstix, is selling sticks to pet owners to play fetch with their dogs!  Selling for A$16 for 3 sticks complete with a manual and two sets of instructions - one for city dogs and the other for country pups, the sticks have been selling fast.  You can even buy an ultra special stick that has your dog's name burnt on.

Who said all the good ideas had already been taken???

People decide to start their own businesses for a myriad of reasons - they want to control their own destiny, they have a great idea for a new product, they want to have more time with their family, cut down on commuting etc etc.

Before you decide to work from home however you need to accept that the realities may be somewhat different to those you have anticipated.  Don't get me wrong - personally I think the benefits far outweigh the negatives, but it is wise to go into self employment with your eyes wide open.........

MYTH 1 - If you are already a workaholic then working from home on your own business will probably make you worse!  Unless you are extremely disciplined then the urge to check emails or just finish off a project at midnight will be all too tempting.  Your office will be within a few steps walking distance 24 hrs a day 7 days a week.  The upside however is the flexibility and freedom you will gain - sure you may choose to check emails at midnight but you might also choose to take every Friday afternoon off to compensate.

MYTH 2 - less hassle.  Working from home means mornings will be less hectic, commuting time non existent and you will easily be able to schedule in things like dentist appointments, dropping into the bank and attending school sports days.  However you will still experience computer problems, deadlines and problems with setting boundaries.  Same stress - different problems.

MYTH 3 - Saving time with elimination of commuting.  Ah yes - but what about friends, hobbies, household chores, getting to the gym, catching up on the TV show you missed last night.  You need to make sure you set boundaries for yourself and that you are disciplined in keeping to them.

MYTH 4 - flexible hours.   The great thing is that you are no longer forced to work set hours - the bad thing is that if you don't set yourself a schedule and stick to it then you will either find yourself spending way too much time on the business - or not enough......

MYTH 5 - Working from home means more time with the kids.  Yes and no.  Yes it will generally allow you to be in a better position to do school drop off and attend school events, but working from home should not be viewed as a substitute for childcare.  Depending on the age of your children, trying to run a home based business at the same time as entertaining young children can quickly become a nightmare - for you and them, and will make everything take twice as long.

Working from home absolutely has huge benefits but just remember that often you will end up working more hours than you would as an employee and there is a lot of hard work involved.  So long as you are aware of the realities, take the plunge and go for it!