If you did work as an independent contractor and got a 1099-MISC, you do own a business. You are the business. You are in business for yourself, or self-employed. Those are all different terms for the same thing. The company that you did the work for is your customer. You enter the 1099-MISC income as business income. You use your own name as your business name, and your home address as your business address. You use the cash accounting method.
