Most people spend half of their waking hours working; yet more than half of all Americans say they aren't happy in their present work.

Approximately 80 percent of Americans working for large companies say they are not using their true skills or talents in their line of work; over 70 percent of working Americans reported feeling “disengaged” at their present job. Studies have also shown that more than 56 percent of all Americans long to start their own business.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) reported that the number of small businesses operating in America has, in fact, grown 49 percent since 1982. Seventy-five percent of all new employment between 1999 and 2000 came at the hands of entrepreneurs, and 2.5 million of the 3.4 million jobs created occurred in small businesses.

So many people are creating their own businesses, there's a hip term for the trend: SOHO, for “small office/ home office.” The country's 22 million SOHO businesses employ half of the private-sector workforce.

According to the National Women's Business Council, women start 424 new enterprises every day, more than twice the rate for all U.S. firms.

Statistics also show that women open two out of three new businesses and employ 25 percent of America's workforce and that 75 percent of these women are still in business three years later, compared to 67 percent of male entrepreneurs.

Over the 15-year period from 1983 to 1997, women working for themselves — as entrepreneurs, freelancers, contract workers, or other forms of self-employment — accounted for 83 percent of the self-employed.

The National Foundation of Women Business Owners said women become entrepreneurs for four primary reasons:

1. They wanted greater flexibility.

2. They weren't happy or comfortable in their present job.

3. They were bored or working below their capacity.

4. They couldn't break through the glass ceiling.

Those are all valid reasons, but other reasons to start your own business include these:

• You can do it on a shoestring these days. Consulting, coaching, organizational skills, personal shopper, online auctions, educational tutoring, and a multitude of other businesses can be launched with minimal funds.

• You can save money. Particularly when businesses are run from one's home, owners are able to write off a lot of ordinary expenses, such as computers, telephones, printers, travel, and even some entertainment. You may also be able to write off portions of your car and the cost of office space in your home.

• You can create the rules. You can set up your business to function according to your rhythms, your needs, and your lifestyle. When emergencies arise, you don't have to call someone else, and you can schedule paperwork for post bedtime or naptime.

• You can do what you love. Instead of slogging your way through the day at a job you abhor, you can find a way to do what you love and make money doing it. This requires stamina and determination, of course, but the payoff can be sublime.

• You can make a lot of money. It's up to you how hard you work at any given time, which means the harder you are willing to work, the more you can money you can make. You can also generate cost-saving practices, innovation, and new market penetration, all of which will improve your bottom line.

• You can determine your own future. The days of job security are long gone. No one works for the same company for thirty years any more, and those who do are likely to watch their retirement funds and pensions dissolve well before they reach the finish line. You need to create your own security, and what better way than to be at the helm?

• You have amazing resources. The wealth of information literally at your fingertips means that you can find out anything and everything you need to know to launch a business. Between books and the Internet, someone has done it all and recorded their trials and tribulations.

• You can join the wave of the future. The days of dominant powerhouse corporations are fading. Today, niche markets and targeted promotion have leveled the playing field. In fact, today's consumer prefers specialization, uniqueness, and quality, and small businesses that offer personalized service or exceptional, specialized products are the wave of the future.

If you are feeling empowered and desirous of starting your own business, it's time to start delving into how one goes about it. To begin, create your own list of reasons for spinning your fantasies into reality.