Today's workplace environment of downsizing, retrenchments, stress and unappreciative bosses has sent many employees scrambling to find a legitimate home based business.

It's no wonder then that self-employment in a home based business is an attractive option to millions of disgruntled employees who want to break out of their dead-end 9 to 5 jobs and hit the highway to financial success and freedom.

This may not come as much of a surprise but since the advent of the internet, the world wide web has leant itself to becoming the perfect medium with which to start a home based business.

Well you might say that sounds good but what benefit does the internet actually provide for running a business from home?

Well these for starters... 1. Flexible hours - you can work when you want.

1. The Internet operates 24/7 - weekends & holidays are not dead time - your website will be marketing your goods & services every second of every day, even while you are sleeping.

2. No geographical limits - depending on what you are marketing there are no boundaries - someone at the other end of the earth could be ordering from your website at any time.

3. Low start up capital requirement - You do not have to make big investments in fixed overheads

In fact all you need is a computer with internet access.

1. You can keep your day job until your online business is firing on all cylinders - then you will want to do it full time.

2. No reporting to the boss - you won't have anyone to answer to but yourself.

3. Earning potential - the top online entrepreneurs are making obscene amounts of money on the internet and there are many people making a excellent livings from their internet concerns working only a few hours a day.

What this means is that your earning potential is uncapped and totally up to you - also remember that there are those who have tried but have never earned a dollar for their efforts.

1. Personal growth and achievement - the feeling of satisfaction you get when you log in to find that while you were sleeping you website did a few sales is immense.

You'll get a lot more in terms of job enrichment than you probably have in your corporate job.

1. Tax benefits - using part of your home for your office is a tax deductible expense even though you don't actually pay rent for it.

2. Productivity - even though you'll no doubt work less hours in the day than you spend working in your day job your productivity will probably by much greater.

You won't be wasting hours on the daily commute, hours spent in boring meetings, weekends spent away doing unproductive 'team building', etc.. Given the above benefits it is no wonder that the trend towards home based internet businesses is only just beginning.

As more people recognize the combination of opportunities offered by the internet and those of working from home, their need to be independent and successful will drive them to joining this growing movement.