This is a really special week in my books. Not only is it Home Based Business Week, but it began with Canadian Thanksgiving, which is pretty fitting, since I’m very thankful to be a living the life of a home based business owner. I won’t lie and say it’s stress-free, but I feel that because I have more control over my work setting, my schedule, and my work itself, it’s a very different type of stress than when I was at the mercy of some bureaucrat who didn’t even know I existed.

If you also have a home based business, you know what I’m talking about. If not, you don’t know what you’re missing!

I’m sure that there are many people who are quite content to be employed by someone else, and that’s great. But if you often drag yourself to work, or find yourself counting the number of years left until you retire, you owe it to yourself to consider other options! If you’re not sure what’s involved in starting a home business, or whether self-employment is right for you, the following books will answer many of your questions.

No Limits – How I Escaped the Clutches of Corporate America to Live the Self-Employed Life of My Dreams by Sara Morgan is an excellent starting point. The author successfully left the corporate world to start her own consulting business so she could have time to spend writing non-fiction books and raising her children while still earning an income, and she wrote this book to help others do the same. She clearly outlines the benefits of self-employment and, since a picture is worth a thousand words, she includes photographs of her very inviting working environment. She also describes the type of person you need to be in order to be successful in your own small business. Morgan’s book also includes tips for deciding what type of business you should start and where to go from there, as well as important issues such as accounting, taxes, and insurance. With fewer than 150 pages, it’s an easy read which can help you determine whether you’re well-suited to self-employment and to overcome any apprehension you may have about leaving your day job.

The Complete Guide to Working for Yourself: Everything the Self-Employed Need to Know About Taxes, Recordkeeping & Other Laws by Beth Williams is, as the title indicates, a complete guide for anyone who is self-employed or is considering self-employment. Despite the title, the book is not restricted to financial and legal issues, but also addresses topics such as marketing, setting prices, and a self-assessment. Although based on US laws around taxation and business structure, there is enough general information provided to make this a useful resource for entrepreneurs in any country. The Companion CD-ROM contains all the forms in the book as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use.

In addition, there are many books and e-books that cover the above topics but are geared toward a specific type of home business, whether you’re interested in becoming a professional organizer, an image consultant, a virtual assistant, an interior decorator, a dog walker, or just about anything you can imagine.

I know that home based businesses aren’t for everyone, but if office politics, wage freezes, glass ceilings and other obstacles are preventing you from living the life you want, shouldn’t you at least explore the possibility?