After years of in-depth academic study, we've devised a Fast Track qualification test for would-be entrepreneurs. Start now, clear a quiet space and concentrate. First question: Do you want personal freedom? Second question: Do you want truckloads of banknotes? Brilliant, off you go!
If only it was that simple. Serious questions to ask yourself in an honest self-audit, if you're considering launching your own business or taking the free agent path, include:
- Do you have a dream or goal to chase? Something that you're passionate about?
- Are you a leader? Can you motivate people if your business takes off and you start hiring? Do you like people and get along with them? Do they like you?
- Do you enjoy hard work and long hours? It will take 3 times as much of both as you estimated at the outset. Are you being really honest with yourself on this bit?
- Can you handle responsibility? Running your own business can ultimately win you financial gains, freedom and flexibility. But there's hard work ahead to get there and a lot of accountability to shoulder. The buck always comes back to you.
- Can you banish the ‘what if I fall flat on my face' fear factor with a shrug of your shoulders and demonstrate a high tolerance for risk? Are you being really honest with yourself on this bit?
- Are you in a cashed-up position to survive for the foreseeable future? Without jeopardizing your personal financial security, if your venture takes significantly longer to get off the ground than you estimated?
If it doesn't sound like the life for you, don't beat yourself up too much about it. Someone has to keep the corporate world afloat. Plenty of us need a manager or mentor, structure and teamwork, or more academic or creative work to fire us up.
You can get your kicks going along for the ride on someone else's fast-tracked entrepreneurial scheme and hit the eject button when you've hurtled past your comfort zone. No-one who matters will make fun of you for being realistic about your business strengths and weaknesses.
And if you fit the Entrepreneur profile, get going, what are you waiting for? Why are you still hanging round reading this when you have so much to do?
One last hint...most entrepreneurs mess up spectacularly when it comes to organizing, administration and record-keeping. It's unfortunately just not their thing. If it's not yours, hire or outsource a good bookkeeper and pay your office manager far more than they deserve.
