have worked for a lot of companies in my lifetime. My husband's
career required that we move whenever we were told to, so we
lived in quite a few different states while our children were
growing up.

I thought when I landed this job that this was it. My husband
had changed jobs and we were no longer puppets being directed
by someone else. I jokingly told people I had filled out my
last job application. I intended to work for this company
for ten more years and then retire.

When my job ended, I packed my things and went home. I
felt empty inside. One day my work was so important that
I couldn't go home until a project was completed. The next
day, it just didn't matter anymore. It's no wonder I lost
faith in corporate America. I depended on the big shots of
this company to keep the business going...at least long enough
for me to retire!

I decided to take advantage of the approved unemployment
payments and start my own online business at home. I created
a workbook and set out to have it printed. I taught myself
how to build a website. I got out the phone book and
started making contacts. Working this business out of my
home office, I was the president, marketing director, and
errand girl!

One of the great things about marketing online is that I met
a lot of wonderful people who helped me along the way. I
promoted their sites and they promoted mine, but in the end,
I knew I'd have to do something else to replace the nice
income I'd lost.

A friend I'd met over the internet called one day and asked
if my business was meeting my expectations. I had to
admit that it wasn't. She asked if I'd be interested in
hearing about something she'd started doing. She explained
that she had friends who always had the knack of getting
into things that turned to gold, and she felt like this
was one of them. That got my attention, and since we had
already built a relationship online, I trusted her.

We scheduled a time for me to hear more, and she put me
on a call with one of her partners. What I heard made
sense to me, and I joined on the spot. At the time I
wanted to make some money along the way, but my main
objective was to build the business so that when I
retired, somewhere around 2012, I'd have enough income to
supplement my Social Security and not have to change
my lifestyle.

I've learned a lot along the way. It's tough getting out
there on your own and figuring out what you might have
that someone will be willing to pay for. I'm happy to
say that my original venture ended up being worth the
effort but not very profitable. I sold every one of
the 5,000 books and now only offer the e-book. For any
budding authors out there, it's the only way to go
unless you have a huge amount of money to invest (or
an agent who's working for you).

As for the second business, I've learned that having
a model out there for running your business makes a
huge difference. By joining a group that offers
websites and training, you're already a step ahead
of where I was when I started on my own.


Copyright 2006 Joyce Moseley Pierce. Joyce is the owner
of Emerson Publications and creator of "All They'll Need
to Know." She publishes the Family First Newsletter
weekly. Visit her website for more information on
working at home. www.FamilyFirst.FourPointMoms.com