So you want to start a home-based business. Well you aren’t alone. Did you know that in the United States there are about 12 million home-based businesses? A lot of people have chosen to abandon their 9-to-5 rat race. So let me ask you, why do you want to work from home?”I’m tired of answering to someone else. I want to be my own boss.”Good answer, but remember, when you become your own boss, the buck stops here. You have no one to blame but yourself. And, speaking of bucks, don’t expect a consistent bi-weekly or monthly paycheck. But the sky is the limit!”I want work as often as I want, when I want.”Another good answer. Flexibility. Your new-found freedom will allow you to attend your kids’ ball games after school or take your spouse on that mid-afternoon date. Maybe your outlaws (sorry, I mean in-laws) are visiting. You won’t have to disappear for 8 hours every day. Are you a morning lark or a night owl? You can choose to work at times when you are most productive. The more you work, the more you make. You can put in as many hours as you want, and get paid based on amount of work you do, unlike that salaried job.”I’m tired of making money for someone else.”Great answer! In a home-based business your profits are yours to keep. They don’t go to someone else’s bottom line. You’ll also find it’s a lot easier to give yourself a raise when you’re the boss.”Wait a minute! I can’t afford to quit my job and start cold turkey working from home.”Then what are you going to do? Fortunately, there is a great option for those who need to “ease in” to the home-based business world. AND, the start-up cost can be as much or as little as you want to make it. I’m referring to the home-based affiliate marketing business.What is affiliate marketing? Considered a widespread method of website promotion, affiliate marketing rewards an affiliate for every visitor, subscriber and/or customer provided through its efforts. It is a modern variation of the practice of paying finder’s-fees to individuals who introduce new clients to a business service or product. In a nutshell, as an affiliate, businesses pay you for sending them a new client/customer. In some cases you can get paid whether or not they purchase a product or sign up for a service.The beauty of a home-based affiliate marketing business is that it allows you to begin building your business part-time until you reach a point that you’re affiliate business is generating as much revenue as your 9-to-5 salary. That is when you “fire your boss.”Let’s see…..be my own boss, or fire my boss. Your choice.