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A quiet revolution in the way many Australians go to work has led to an enormous increase in the number of solo businesses. Garages and spare bedrooms are being transformed into the new workplace. Examples include bookkeeping services, mail order marketing, desktop publishing, translation services, tutoring, computer programming, graphic art, freelance writing and multi-level marketing. Many solo businesses operate part time. The big growth in solo businesses has been the small office/home office, or SOHO, as a result of changes in the labor market, lifestyle choices and technology.

Some people are attracted to a solo business by family and lifestyle considerations. The time lost commuting; the long working hours and the stress of abandoning young children to day-care centers have prompted many individuals to review their career aspirations and what they want out of life. They can have an office at home with no overheads, they can be close at hand for the family, and their working hours can be as flexible as they like. Technology is perhaps the most powerful force behind the growth in solo businesses. Relatively inexpensive and powerful computers, voice-mail systems, pagers, mobile phones, fax machines, the Internet and e-mail have made the solo business functionally feasible and financially realistic.