The deer came from nowhere and now you're late and dragging your bumper all the way to work wondering, "What's for supper? I forgot to fill the crock-pot." You arrive to work late, tense, and wondering if you're going to be fired since it's the second time this month. You'd call ahead but you forgot to charge your cell phone and it's dead. If that's you, consider becoming your own boss and work from home.

Caution, there are some pros and cons you should be made aware before you join the ranks.

Pros

1. Flexibility

Work all night. Sleep all day. It's also a great way to care for elderly parents and school aged children while still getting to use your education to maximize those entrepreneurial dreams.

2. No Commute

Whether you sit in traffic jams on your way to work or drive through the wooded country with deer bouncing across the road in front of you, the day begins much less stressed sliding from the shower to the computer. The car sits in the garage, saves on mileage, gas, and maintenance.

3. Money Savings

Eat lunch in your own kitchen, wear your grubbies, no Christmas shopping for the boss and your work pals, no office collections for somebody you don't know, no deli food for supper because you're too tired to cook. It's amazing what you cut back on without even thinking about it. You can even go to the market and buy groceries on the big discount mornings.

Cons

1. Interruptions

You're home so that means you must be available anytime; expect drop-ins. Someone decides to blare the television, the radio, or the dogs go wild because a squirrel is sitting on the deck. You run to check it out.

2. Lack of an IT Department

This is almost self-explanatory, but there are days I want to scream because I suddenly have pop-up ads and the printer dies. I have to quit what is important to me to research the best IT equipment currently available to replace what's broken, find a better malware program, or research an answer to a tech question. It can kill a couple of days.

3. Collaboration

I truly miss having someone periodically look over my shoulder and make recommendations on how to tweak my work. Generally, it's a finishing touch that just adds to the project, or a few words that changes the structure of the entire project. Those days are gone.

There are far more pros and cons available, but for myself, the pros totally outweighed the cons, so I took an early retirement, and I'm starting over as my own boss. So far, it's out-of-this-world.