Then there was John. John wasn't just as good as the other guys, he was better. Not better in what he could do by way of programming, but better in that he could see where IT was going in the future and he wanted to be the first to get there. I don't know where he kept it, but somewhere in that office full of papers, magazines, and programming ideas, John must have had a crystal ball.

Every now and then, though, we knew that the future might be rosy but getting there was trouble, at least for the moment. When things got rough, when programs weren't running smoothly, or there were hardware problems, John could be heard saying, "Why don't we just make pies. It can't be too hard to make pies.

With all due respect to Mrs. Smith and Marie Callender, we would sit quietly for a moment as we envisioned ourselves in chef's coats and hats with nothing to worry about but getting the right mixture of flour and water and setting the oven at the right temperature. Then reality would hit and back to work we would go.

If you are interested in or in the thick of creating your own at-home business, you know that it is hard. There are probably a lot of terms you don't know and a lot more you've not even heard of, but it's important to remember the principles of PIE.

Plan

If you are new to working at home, plan how you will add this new career to your existing work, play, and relationships. Plan what hours you will devote and where your home office will be. Plan how to include your family in this venture, even if it is just to make a deal with them that you will work as hard as you can through the week and take weekends off for family activities. Think about how much money you are willing to invest and plan how to make that work.

If you are experienced in working at home, plan your next step. Focus on one thing you want to do to improve your product, your customer or downline support, or website. Plan how you will accomplish that one task. Don't get caught up in all the latest programs available to you. Concentrate on just one change and plan how you will put that into action.

Investigate

Again, if you are new to working at home, investigate the possibilities that are out there. Do you want to be involved in affiliate marketing or start your own online business? What programs offer guidance to you either in the form of written materials or someone who will be your sponsor who can help you achieve your goals and keep it all in perspective? How much time and money will it really take? Where can you go for help?

If you are experienced in working at home, investigate ways to achieve the task you identified in the planning stage. If you need more traffic, investigate SEO, blogging, ezine articles, and solo ads, just to name a few. If you identified brand identity, investigate the tactics used by successful companies that are familiar to a wide audience. If you identified overwork, investigate getting help through virtual assistants, automated email responders, and your state's laws on hiring office help.

Whatever you identified as the goal you want to achieve, investigate at least three ways to accomplish that goal.

Emulate

You have heard it said that the best way to be successful is to duplicate success. Find someone who has achieved the goal you are striving for. Ask them questions, follow them around for a while, be annoying. Ok, don't be annoying, but you know what I mean. Find someone who knows the ropes and learn from them. This does not have to take the form of someone you know personally. There are plenty of men and women who are successful in their at-home business, but you have to get to know them even if you can only do it virtually. Search for their names and their products. Search for the person or product by name and the term "scam" behind it to see if there are forums out there where people are talking about being scammed by these people or the products they are selling.

Look for someone that will walk you through the process, not just take your money. Don't be fooled by "get rich quick" advertisement. There are some who have made thousands of dollars in a few days, but there are truly only a handful of those. If a person or product is worth investing in, they will be around for a long time and their products and service will get better with age.

You can achieve your dream of working at something you love and working at it on your own terms if you just remember that it really is as easy as PIE - Plan, Investigate, Emulate.