For many people the dream of leaving their current job and setting up shop on their own is a powerful one - no one to answer to plus the possibility of making millions in the process. Who among us hasn’t at least once in their lives fantasized about leaving the rat race once and for all and striking out on their own? Many of the millionaires in this country have made their fortune by doing just that. Some haven’t even bothered to finish school before trying to make it on their own. The country’s richest man, Bill Gates, is a university dropout! Another famous college dropout is Larry Ellison a software billionaire and founder of Oracle Corporation. Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart Stores, opened his first Wal-Mart at age 44 in 1962 with a mission to offer the customer the lowest prices possible.

According to In-Stat/MDR, a market research firm, the number of small businesses (companies with less than 100 employees) in this country should reach 2.7 million employing some 42 million workers by 2006. Service businesses represent the largest component of the small business segment of the market followed by retail trade. Small businesses not only represent a possible escape from the rat race but they also represent the single greatest source of job growth and innovation in this country. But what factors separate the winners from the losers in the world of small business?

What are your chances of making it on your own? How best to go about it? What is the most appropriate strategy for making your dream a reality? Should you go out on your own or should you take on a partner? Should you become a franchisee and buy someone else’s proven business plan or create your own from scratch? What are the benefits of working for yourself and what are some of the pitfalls?

In Report on Money we examine the process of small business formation and through our research reports and seminars we help answer the questions that are the most pressing for the entrepreneur. The professionals at Report on Money examine small business from all angles and report back to you. We answer the questions about tradeoffs, financing and staffing as well as marketing and strategy for making your new venture a success.

To find out how Report on Money can help you energize your new or existing business click here.