As gas prices rise, and your wages don’t, you’re probably looking with increasing envy at those who work from home in their pajamas with the new online economy: creating websites, writing ebooks, selling things on eBay, participating in MLM, even blogging for cash. The truth is, they are no different from you, except in one respect: they have a plan they’ve committed to that has helped them reshape their lives.

So, before gas raises another dollar or so per gallon, stop being envious and start committing to a plan to work from home at an online job instead, creating your own niche business in the growing world of the Web. Here’s one step-by-step plan for how to do it:

1. Decide what you do very well that other people will pay to learn, or that you can make money with otherwise. Everyone has a special talent, a skill that they can do better than most other people. An experienced RN can find virtual employment as an online triage nurse. A woman who’s nursed her parents through Alzheimer’s understands the roadblocks others may have to deal with as they begin their journey. A teen is funding his college education by purchasing old computers on Craig’s List, refurbishing them, and selling them for a good profit on eBay. Artists are selling their original works on eBay, and talented writers are creating nonfiction for others, or serial fiction, or original novels, all sold online. What’s your niche?

2. Get a computer and broadband connection and learn how to use them well. While you should ideally have a minimum 1.7 gHz processor computer, you can do quite well with a ten-year-old computer and a good Internet connection. The critical part is it must work for you. And here’s a secret: while most people immediately turn to commercial software, almost anything you need to do in your virtual career can be done with free or inexpensive software you can download to your computer. (One major hint: learn how to use a word processor very well, and learn how to do simple coding in HTML. Both these skills are critical.)

3. Create a blog and/or website. The heart of your online business is promoting yourself and your skills. You can do this most effectively, when starting out, with a simple blog, just sharing your knowledge with others on a daily basis. Later, when you’ve grown comfortable with the Internet, you can set up your own website to share information and sell products.

4. Build an audience. This is the hardest part of your job. You’ll need to look at each new fan or follower as a valuable commodity. These are the people who will buy your products, support your site, tell other people about you, and read your paid advertisements. Take it slow; build your community one person at a time, and learn how to use RSS feeds, opt-in email newsletters, and forum or commenting tools to keep your fans coming back to you.

5. Sell advertising and start with affiliate sales. Once you’ve reached a critical audience point of a thousand or so customers, it’s time to start making some money. Start by selling advertising through Google Adsense, and look into doing affiliate sales for people who have products you believe in and think your fans would like. Your bank account will start growing, but you’re just getting started.

6. Create and sell your own information products. Over time, you’ve created quite an inventory of information. It’s time to mine this wealth of information, creating ebooks, reports, and even videos with your data. How-to guides sell very well, and proven moneymaking or money-saving techniques also do well. Look at your data and see what you can monetize.

7. Learn how to track sales, advertise, and build your customer base. Your customers need nurturing, just like a garden. Learn how to identify new customers, build on your old ones, and track where your sales are going (as well as where they are not). Over time, you’ll develop a sense for what promotions work, what items sell, and what your fans really want, and this will save you time wasted on things that don’t work.

8. If you’re not making enough money, consider consulting for others. You’ve developed some valuable skills: blogging, writing, selling, marketing online. These are all commodities that are valuable to other people. Set up another website and sell your expertise writing sales pages, creating web sites, or writing blogs for other people. Don’t let it distract you from your main line of money, but use it as a second valuable source of income.

9. Quit your job! Once you’ve accumulated a nest egg from your home based work and have a fairly regular income from your online ventures, it’s time to tear up the gas card, burn the suit, and tell your boss what he can do with his job – in whatever colorful method you want. This is the vision you want to hold onto as you walk the difficult path to financial freedom with your online career, and the moment that will make everything so very worth the work.