Have you ever wondered if you could really start a business by yourself? Do you have the dream of working for yourself? Do you want to be more available to your kids? Do you want a little extra income for things you cannot now afford? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I can offer some advice.

Close to six years ago I got divorced. Here I was '50 something' and suddenly on my own. My first thought was that I would like to start my own business. I will admit to ulterior motives. I was (and still am) an avid tennis player. I wanted to be able to have a flexible schedule which would allow me to play tennis. Well, I was afraid to take a chance, so I re-entered the '8 to 5' world.

Fast forward to 2005. I was fast approaching 60. The idea of starting my own business was still in the back of my mind and the urge was even stronger. I decided to take the plunge. Why now? First of all, I have a lot more confidence in myself. It is also so much easier to find a business now. You can search for anything on the internet.

I started researching. My email box was overflowing. There were so many opportunities that sounded good. Unfortunately I did not know anyone who could give me advice. I signed up for one legitimate sounding business and found out it was a scam. Fortunately I emailed and telephoned so much that they gave me my money back.

Then it was back to the drawing board. I had learned that what you get is not always what you are promised, so I was very careful. The experience left me with a desire to have a 'work at home directory' to help others find legitimate businesses.

My adventure is just beginning. I found a very legitimate opportunity. One measure of a company should be the amount of support they offer. Many people starting a business are 'newbies'. They need lots of resources. Another advantage of the opportunity I took was that a website was provided. Not only that, but I could modify it. This means that I could make a directory for 'at home' businesses. This meant I had to learn HTML. What a sense of accomplishment when my revised site was online!

I still have that goal of working fulltime at home. I am progressing toward it and am determined that I will reach it. If I can do it, so can YOU! Don't be afraid to dream. You must be willing to work hard. It's tough working a 40 hour job and then putting in many hours on your at home job. Stick with it. Don't give up. Just keep thinking of how good it will be when you no longer have to commute to work, when you can set your own schedule, and when those checks start arriving in the mail. Do something about it today. Reach for the stars!