I’m a high-tech corporate refugee. I left that industry not because it sucks, but because after twenty-five years it no longer met my expectations for fulfillment. I’m not a hate-the-corporate-world kind of guy. The corporate way of life was stifling, but it provided for my family quite well and enabled us to live overseas and explore the wonders of the ancient Middle East. It was amazing.

Walk the deserted hot and dusty paths between tomb entrances in the Valley of the Kings and you will understand why I count myself blessed to have worked in the corporate world when I did. Snorkel with your family along the hundred-meter wall of the Ras Mohamed Underwater Park and watch the sea turtles slowly surface from the inky-blue depths of the Gulf of Aqaba, and you will know why I cherish those experiences.

But now I’m a full-time home-based entrepreneur—an Internet Marketer and Product Launch Specialist, to be precise. It’s a unique experience. In retrospect, except for the fact we would have missed out on some incredible adventures abroad, I don’t know why I didn’t make the move from corporate-cubicle life to work-from-home life years ago. [That last sentence should end with more emphasis, but "!!!" seem like grammatical over-kill. ]

Another Leadership Call - at home office overlooking the farmland and green space behind our home.

As I write this article, I am sitting at my home office windows overlooking 400 acres of farmland, protected green space, and golf courses. The daily stress and anxiety of the corporate grind has been completely replaced by home based business and the life of an entrepreneur. I can’t claim there is not stress… but it is stress that I can actually do something about since the business is mine and the strategies and directions and decisions are mine. And my office location is mine…

This morning when I got back from my sunrise walk with the dogs there were two large does with their fawns browsing under the apple trees. A red-tail hawk was circling over the bluff and a large blue heron was in our pond. Another day in paradise—a typical morning on our small farmland property.  But I don’t have to look back far to realize…

As a seasoned business professional, I’ve learned that one of the most important aspects to success in business, is leverage. Far too often, entrepreneurs fall into the trap of essentially buying themselves a glorified job. At the start, the thought of running your own business, “calling the shots,” and writing your own paycheck, sound like a dream come true: show up to work when you want, decide when you want to work and have the freedom to create the business of your dreams.

This dream is often quickly shattered for many business owners. Before they realize what’s happening, they’re caught up in dealing with overhead, employee issues, insurance, and the list goes on and on. Not only that, but many entrepreneurs get caught up in working longer hours, and working harder, than the people they employ. They end working around the clock so that their employees can live a comfortable life, but that’s it. The owner ends up working for the business, instead of the entrepreneur owning a business that works for him or her.

Technology is the great enabler. Whether you’re creating a logo, putting together a website, publishing whitepapers or broadcasting e-mails, today’s technology makes it all so easy that anybody can do it. Or at least they think they can. And this is where the problem comes in—it’s not nearly as easy as it might look.

The fact is that these technologies are really tools—the tools of the trade. In this case, the trade is that of the pros who create logos, design websites, write copy and issue press releases. In this age of increasing specialization, literally everything that you see, read, watch, or listen to on the Internet represents a field of highly trained, specialized professional people who are experts at creating whatever it is you’ve encountered.