Many of you want to be your own boss. You're tired of working for the man - or working for the woman, but you're afraid. If you have a job, maybe you're wondering, "Should I throw away this comfortable old security blanket?" Does it mean that much to me to be independent?

If you're currently one of the multitudes who has just lost a job and have been looking for work and not finding what you want - or not getting any nibbles at all - you may be thinking, "Should I just give up and go out on my own?"

Going out on your own as an entrepreneur or as a freelancer can be scary if it's your first time.

If you believe you really want to be your own boss and that you really want the opportunity to work from home, you don't have to give up whatever level of security you have (or think you have) all at once. Taking baby steps - starting your self employment endeavors part time, makes perfect sense. You get to test the waters and find out what being independent is really like as you start building up your base of clients or customers. By starting on a part-time basis you may also not need to invest as much money in getting started.

Take the time to enjoy the ride and remember that "Beginning is half done." Decide what you really want to do and try it on for size!

9 Part-Time Home Businesses
Guide to Freelancing

There's no doubt that the current economic sluggishness will eventually turn around. Exactly when it will happen is anyone's guess.

Achieving Business Excellence blogger and business consultant/speaker John Spence feels that the recession is in its "fourth quarter", likening this cycle to the last quarter of a football game where everyone is pretty tired but are at a point where extra effort is needed to win the game.

Regardless of where we are at in the economic cycle, Spence's advice is spot on. He offers a series of 8 questions for you to answer and rate yourself or your company on to see if you are prepared to take advantage of the business upswing that is bound to occur when the cycle ends. His questions force you to look at how you are working with your customers or clients and the level of service you are currently providing. You can then rate your answers to see how prepared you really are for an economic rebound.

The other reason Spence's piece is noteworthy is that the techniques and service levels he suggests you need are also ways you can survive the downturn in the first place, regardless of how long it lasts. And, while his advice was written from a standpoint of business teams, it applies to solo entrepreneurs as well.

Jean Murray, About.com's Guide to Business Law/Taxes provides some insight into a battle over taxes that is heating up. This battle that is being waged in an increasing number of states has forced Amazon to terminate its affiliate marketing program in Rhode Island (North Carolina affiliates have also reportedly been let go) because Rhode Island is working on legislation which would require Amazon to collect sales tax on sales credited to their Rhode Island affiliates. Affiliates in Hawaii and Minnesota have also been mentioned as likely to be impacted, if not now then in the near future.

Cash-strapped budgets in states across the U.S. are forcing state legislators to find new ways to generate revenues. In essence, they are trying to circumvent national protection against Internet sales taxes, which itself is really only a temporary agreement to not tax online sales for the time being.

Amazon has lashed out, saying its affiliates do not constitute a "presence" in that state and rather than pay sales tax on those revenues it is dropping affiliates in states with such legislation. But, keep in mind, this only the beginning. This could be a substantial shakeup in the ability to earn income from affiliate programs in general, depending on your state of residence and it could also affect online sales revenues in general. It is an issue that certainly bears watching, and perhaps a bit of old-fashioned consumer activism to get legislators to back off.

The state legislators probably reasoned that these are big corporations that can afford to fork over state sales taxes. But in order to do so, sales tax will need to be added to purchases from these states and in a very competitive online market retailers are reluctant to do that. So the choice for a company like Amazon is either to start adding sales tax to these sales or cut their affiliates in these states off at the knees. In the end, it's the little guy that is getting shafted once again.

Home Business Idea: Internet Affiliate Marketer
Can You Really Make Money with Online Affiliate Programs?
Remote Sales Tax Battle Heats Up - About: Business Law/Taxes

The latest hand-screened work at home jobs have been posted, all of which appear to provide a legitimate opportunity to telecommute.

This week's jobs list actually includes 12 work at home positions, because the last employer needs bloggers in 3 metro areas (so far) - Austin, TX, Ft. Lauderdale / Miami, FL and San Francisco. As I've often said here, blogging is a great profession you can do from home in your PJs. And, one of the best blogging sites I've found - for potential work at home jobs and for tips on becoming a great blogger, is Darren Rowse's problogger.net. That's not to take anything away from About.com's own Susan Gunelius, the Guide to Web Logs, who also has a new book out about copywriting, which I intend to review for you here in the very near future.

United Health Group (a company which, in my opinion, should win a telecommute-friendly award of some kind) has posted a VP and General Manager level telecommute salaried position for the second time this month. Work at home jobs don't get much more legitimate than that. You just never know when there are work at home wolves in sheep's clothing lurking out there.

All of these positions are pre-screened for you, but if you've never heard of the employer, I urge you to do your due diligence in checking them out.

This Week's Legitimate Work at Home Jobs