Working at home can be a great (and in certain circumstances the only) option. You can still grow in your profession but it takes a lot of skillful planning to make sure that you get more projects, and that your skills won’t go stale.

Know what you need to know. Even if you decide to work on something right up your alley (you were a copywriter for your previous company and then you decide to still be a copywriter), it still won’t hurt  if you do some research. Find out what makes your previous company successful. See if you can incorporate it in your own venture. Find out what didn’t work and make sure you won’t make the same mistake. When yo do break away from your previous employer, do so amicably. Who knows, they might still get you for freelance projects. Don’t forget to get advice from friends and colleagues who are also self-employed. They can give you advice on how to be a successful entrepreneur.

Know what you want to do. Set up goals. It could be long term as setting a retirement age with 8 million dollars in assets, or something like that. That’s fine. But don’t forget to focus on short-term goals too. Make a list of what you want to accomplish every quarter of the year. This way everything you do will have meaning. You are not just working for the sake of working.

Take action. You’ve done your research and now you have your goals. What you can do now is make sure that you put your plans into action. This is the real test on how you are able to follow through and how your business will actually flourish. Do more research and set more goals. But don’t forget to act on them.