Today, researchers and marketers have identified a segment which is now labeled SOHO, small offices, home offices. These are the entrepreneurs with a vision... whether they are high tech start ups or women selling Mary Kay...who drive America's economic growth and have created most of the new jobs in the last 20 years. 3 % of companies accounted for 6 million of the 7.7 million jobs that were added to the economy between 1991-1995 according to a report released in October1996 by Cognetics Inc., a Cambridge, Mass., research firm. Small businesses represent over 90 % of all businesses in the U.S. with an economic output greater than Germany or France or the U.K. And women owned businesses are growing faster than any other segment.

Home based workers earn more money. The 46 million home-based workers in the United States, including a large number of women, working at home in an attempt to better balance work and family, earn 28 % more than the average office worker, and spend less time making their pay, according to a survey released October 10, 1996. Of course this could be due, in part , to the fact that more experienced and aggressive workers tend to start their own businesses.

The American Association of Home-Based Businesses' survey, sponsored by Canon , found that the home worker earned an average of $34,500 annually, well above the national average of $24,908.And they spent 33.6 hours a week doing it, on average. 59 percent of those asked said they spend less than 40 hours a week, while 41 percent said they worked more than the 40-hour standard.

Asked what they missed most about working in an office, about a quarter of the home workers said financial security, benefits and interaction with coworkers.

Asked what they missed least, about the same number said the daily commute, and an overbearing boss.

Remember, going into business on your own, or from a home office may mean making do with less. But it can also mean achieving more: more independence, more challenges, more results . In the long run it may well mean more money for you and your family. In a word, doing it on your own means freedom, to grow, experiment and and learn . If you are successful, you won't have to go ask for a raise or accept what you're given or worry about being turned out to pasture when a younger version of yourself comes along. You will have the freedom to enjoy the profits of your own work, and the continuing growth and profit which comes from owning your own business. Good luck and enjoy the journey. Check in from time to time and let us know how you're doing.