It's easy to look at a home-based business for its potential to solve your current frustrations at work. But you need to be realistic: Will you truly be improving your situation or will you just be taking the problems with you to your home office? Home-based businesses that have the best chance for success start with a solid foundation and a positive motivation. The following reasons help to provide both.

You Have a Marketable Skill

Whether you're a great carpenter or a meticulous bookkeeper, you need to have a skill that will translate into a product or service that's in demand. You also need a reason for people to come to you for that skill: It may be enough if you believe that you can provide higher quality work than many of your competitors.

You Have a Good Idea in a Good Market

You don't need a new or even a brilliant idea — it just needs to match the needs of the market. For example, if three-quarters of the homes in your area have dogs, but there are no dog-walking services around, that's an idea that matches the market.

You're More Efficient

Again, your idea or skill doesn't need to be unique to you. But if you believe that you can deliver it more efficiently than the other people in the market, that gives you an edge when it comes to pricing, and therefore to competing.

You're Looking for a Lifestyle Change

If you are truly looking for an improved quality of life, and you're willing to take on the financial risks of a business, working from home could be for you. Just keep in mind that you may be working as hard, if not harder, for yourself than you would for someone else.

You're Determined to Be Successful

Your drive to succeed will provide the motivation to stick with it when things get tough or you face the obstacles that will inevitably crop up. Make sure that you have a clear idea of what you mean by “success,” along with the will to make it happen.

You Believe in Your Own Abilities

It's natural to have doubts about your ability to handle an occasional task that you face, but you also need positive thinking to face those doubts and to tackle the task despite them. If you look forward to challenges and enjoy solving problems, a home-based business will give you plenty of opportunities to exercise those skills.