Do you want to break free from your job and run a business from home, work for yourself , rather than make money for an employer?Working at home is not always the easiest option, but for many it is a ticket to freedom, enabling them to escape the grind of the nine to five. Or it can be a second job, bringing in a much needed extra income to pay for some of the essentials or the luxuries everyone wants to have.So, do you have what it takes to go it alone? Is self employment for you?First of all you need to be highly motivated. Self employment can be lonely, difficult and frustrating, but it can also be extremely rewarding, both in terms of self fulfillment and in terms of financial gain.You also need to e prepared to work extremely hard. Most people who are starting a home business do not have a lot of cash to put into the business and that means they have to do everything themselves, at least in the early stages.If this applies to you, you will have to do many jobs which you have not done in the past, do not enjoy and possibly really do not want to do. However, just remember that once you have some money coming in, you will be able to outsource a lot of the less than interesting jobs.So you will be the person who answers the phone, replies to emails, does the book-keeping and submits the tax return. You will also be the person who buys the pens, paper and other stationery and goes to the printer to sort out the business cards and letterhead. You’ll also be in charge of advertising, talking to suppliers and customers, booking meetings and making travel arrangements.If your business is online, to start with, you will have to set up your website, squeeze page and autoresponder and you’ll have to drive traffic to your site.Self discipline is also crucial. If you are not able to work on your own initiative and can’t settle down to work without someone telling you that you must get on with it, you won’t stand a chance.Persistence is another important quality for anyone who plans to become self-employed. It can take time to see the results of all your hard work and it may be tempting to give up too soon.However, you also need to be realistic and to see when something isn’t working so that you can find a better way of doing things.A combination of hard work, persistence, common sense and the vision of your future success are all necessary characteristics for self employment.