When you work from home as a freelancer or running a home business, there is always a chance that you could take a hit from the loss of work, business or a big client. This is a special concern during times of economic turmoil. Even though the recession is technically over, many home business owners are likely to continue to struggle for a little bit longer.

When you are your own boss, you need to make sure that your plan your finances so that you are prepared for a drastic drop in income. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself in the event that your home business can no longer provide the income you need:

* Save up: Have an emergency fund that you can build to help get you buy until you can replace the lost income.

* Find other revenue streams: Diversifying your income is a good way to provide protection from income loss. For example, you can participate in affiliate programs, look into dividend investing (but this comes with its own risks) or do work for sites that offer recurring revenue.

* Build in some contractual protection: One thing I like to do when entering into a long term arrangement is to require a notice of two weeks before the client can terminate an arrangement. While this isn’t always full-proof, in most cases it will at least give you a couple of weeks to find replacement income.

In the end, it is up to you to be prepared. You can’t rely on anyone else to look out for you, and protect you from a drop in home business income.