Do I consider myself a risk taker?
To go into business for yourself you have to be able to take risks whether small or big ones. Here is where your emotions play an important role. Be aware of your feelings of disappointment, anxiety, anger and joy to mention a few. Can you control some of them? If you can't take a risk, no matter how small, don't go into business for yourself.
Risks have been imposed on us from the day we were born. That's what the heart surgeon told me at the VA Hospital in New Orleans before my undergoing a bypass in 1986 when I asked him how risky it was to go through with the operation. In his words: "you risk dying from the moment you're born". That made me feel a little better.
Why do I want to go into business?
Is it to make money, keep busy, feel personal satisfaction, offer a useful service to others, or fulfil an urge to be creative? Usually almost everyone wants some extra money even if he doesn't need it and it always serves as an additional incentive. Whether you keep it or give it away is your very personal decision. But the business does have to produce for you something else besides simply filling a needed product or useful service. And that's personal satisfaction. No one wants to work in something he doesn't like and which doesn't make him feel good.
Will my family (spouse, children, other parents living with me) support me emotionally?
You need this mental alliance. Unless you have the emotional support of your family, you'll have a difficult time making your business succeed. Many enterprises I know of succeeded quickly because of family support. Likewise, I know of businesses that failed because the spouse didn't give the emotional support he or she needed.
Can I be my own cheer-leader?
Those who have been successful in their own business have learned how to cope with financial difficulties and remain relaxed and confident. By exercising personal discipline, keeping motivated, and steering and maintaining a clear goal, you too have a better chance of succeeding. At times you may feel downhearted when things go wrong. But try to be your own cheerleader-always root for yourself. Adjust to the flexibility and freedom of being on your own. Always remember you want to be happy, so if you feel you'll become a slave to your business, don't start one. You'll be better off by not embarking on an enterprise of your own.
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