Given the current pace of corporate downsizing and a restless desire for independence, the demand for new income opportunities away from the office will increase. Companies large and small continue to automate their operations and contract out more functions in pursuit of a more “streamline” structure and more real profits. Those who understand how to work independently from home will survive. It is becoming more and more important to know how to navigate such a journey. With nearly half of all workers witnessing layoffs in their own workplaces, and at least one in five seriously worried about losing his or her job, few can afford to ignore the flight plans of the soloists.

If you have been in the workforce for very long, chances are you too have spent some time evaluating your priorities. More than ever before, personal evaluations are driving workers to action. Studies show we are walking away from the daily commute, the pressure, and the harassment, toward freedom in record numbers.

In the last two decades, millions of workers have left their jobs and started their own home-based businesses. By 2001, more businesses were started at home than on Main Street or on any other commercial street or mall. One hundred years ago, most Americans worked for themselves. Two hundred years ago, President Thomas Jefferson envisioned a nation of independent merchants and farmers. Today’s entrepreneurs are their heirs.

Two significant trends have helped to elevate those who choose to work at home: office technology and the internet. Today, anyone in any home business anywhere in the world can compete on a level playing field with just about anyone else. Many industry analysts believe that home business is still the wave of the future.