When I got divorced, I didn't know how I was going to be able to cope with my financial responsibilities which included mortgage, car payments, my kids' private school plus all the other expenses related to having a family without a husband's salary.
I had recently lost my full-time job, had managed to find a part-time job, and wasn't receiving any child support because we had joined custody.
With all this happening at once, I was desperate to find some kind of work that I could do from home so I could pay the bills.
That's when I decided to look on the Internet. I looked for information on how to start an online business, web design, how to find products to sell and everything related to having a home based business.
But guess what, most of the free information available talked about getting a product, promoting it and making money but they actually didn't say how and where to find products, where or how to promote your web site and I was so frustrated that for a moment I thought about forgetting the whole thing and look for a full-time job somewhere else.
At this point I knew that I only had one last chance at it so I decided to spend one more day looking for step-by-step information on how to set up your own home business.
Luckily, I came across a very impressive step-by-step manual that taught me how to start my business online.
If you plan to start your own online business, keep in mind that you have to invest a a little money. But hey, the investment is a lot less than starting any other business.
My initial investment (after having spent previously around $250 in information that wasn't worth a penny) was $296.90. This included the step-by-step manual, autoresponder, domain, web hosting and search engines.
I'm not going to tell you that it has been easy or that I'm a millionaire but it helps pay my bills.
The most important thing is to have the desire and willingness to spend some time educating yourself on the things you need to know to start your own business.
Avoid those quick-money scams. Nothing is easy in life so if anything you read "is too good to be true", you know it won't work.
Be patient. Just take one step at a time and you will succeed.
Maria Estarellas is the webmaster for http://www.1mykids.com
"The Complete Website For The Whole Family". Parenting Tips, Games, Toys, Gifts, Hobbies, Crafts, Information On How To Start Your Own Business in the "Making Ends Meet" section, Mortgage Tips and More.