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I have tried three times. Twice I got off to a false start.

Best advice I can give? OK:

1) DON'T GIVE UP
2) DON'T GIVE UP YOUR DAY JOB: do the home job part-time until you are comfortable that you can make it go.
3) You will always need more seed capital than you have, and even more than you think you will need
4) DON'T get lazy. Working for yourself, at home, is an ultimate temptation to get lazy, to fall into bad work habits: YOU ARE, after all, the Boss. And when the Boss ain't lookin'...
5) Make good friends with your banker. And your accountant. Get your bills out on time, and better still, collect them within the timeframe of your commercial terms. Cash is king. Cash is king. Cash is king: make this a mantra. Never give discounts. Ever. For any reason.
6) Network.
7) Manage your time. Actively.
8) Show up to work ON TIME, READY TO GO. Change out of the Jammies, even tho' your daily commute is just downstairs to your office. Close the door and allow no interruptions. Not even from your Spouse, who will begin to see you as a "resource" to be utilized during the work day. Discourage *that* in the strongest possible terms, without wrecking your marriage. She needs to understand that you ARE NOT available between 9 and 5. Not to her, not to anyone else. You are at work.
9) BE THERE from 9 to 5, reliably.
10) Sound-proof your office: nothing deters clients more than screaming kids and barking dogs. Get a separate phone line, one that your Spouse won't accidentally pick up and start dialing on when you are trying to close your deal. Get an answering service: your Spouse will be well-intentioned but will invariably show you up for what you are: a home-based business. Get a separate fax line: one that doesn't "ANSWER" your business line with a beep.