Cynthia Shapiro, author of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn’t Want You to Know—And What to Do About Them.

As you might imagine, the fog of doom and gloom soon lifted, and I tapped into energy reserves I didn’t know existed.

For business-plan templates or free start-up advice, see the SCORE

Of course, you can’t beat the perks: Every cent you make goes into your own empire (or pocket). You set your own hours. Name your price. Choose who you work with and what projects you take on. Crash through the glass ceiling. Get your work done in three-quarters the time it would take in some email-saturated, meeting-happy cube farm. Take your kids

these incredibly busy women are proof that you don’t need a trust fund or five years off to accomplish your goals. You just need to get started and stick with it.

Anytime your business does something newsworthy—hosts a public bash, offers a unique class, makes a fat donation, gets a visit from Margaret Cho—it’s a good opportunity to get some local press.

Get on board. Joining a nonprofit board of directors is a giant responsibility.

To ensure I bring in new blood from time to time, I like to keep a Customer Wish List. To make your own Customer Wish List, ask yourself, If I could sell to any ten people or companies in the world, who would they be?

Before you commit, be sure to Google past and current board members (usually listed on the organization’s website) to look for any red flags.