Start a real business and leave the job market behind

2011 was a bad year, unemployment has been rising, and it looks like 2012 won't be much better, but with the need to earn an income a lot of people are looking around for other options. My favourite is to create your own job, you could for example become a website builder or social media expert, but there really is no limit to the type of new career that can be chosen.

After deciding to go independent and not look for work, it quickly becomes apparent that a CV isn't useful, most banks will ask to see a business plan and grant providers will probably want a marketing plan as well. But before getting to this stage it would be wise to invest some time choosing a career that would be rewarding and something you'd want to do.

Doing business on the Internet has low startup costs, so even people with very little savings who want to get started can for a few dollars create a website with their own domain name. Of course this isn't entirely necessary, free services such as Facebook, Blogger, Google+ and others provide easy access to millions users, a lot of whom might want your services.

The sorts of ideas that work well online are Internet services, marketing, accounting, life coaching, HR advice, photographer or video production, graphic designer, writer, and many more.

Set your goals starting with the big picture, how you see your perfect life taking shape and then go from there. After this goal is in your mind, it's much easier to start breaking it down into sections to be worked on, and you'll very quickly see if you need to work more, or work smarter to achieve your financial goals.

A career is a lifestyle as well, it's much more than going to work for the man. So get it right and enjoy being laid off because it may be the best thing that ever happened to you.