One of the fastest growing workplaces today is the home office. Examples of home-based businesses abound. Consider Rainforest Cafe, founded by Steven Schussler in 1994. Since Mr. Schussler was short on cash, the prototype of the cafe was built at his home in Minneapolis. Rainforest Cafe now has more than 25 international locations and is a publicly traded $300-million-plus operation.
In 1997, 6.1 million people worked full-time in home-based businesses, according to the Small Business Administration. Current estimates put the number closer to 7.4 million. When part-time workers are included, such as telecommuters, the number of people who work at home today climbs to about 15.7 million.