Reproduced from The Daily Telegraph Small Business Guide to starting your own business by Michael Becket.
Answer the following questions as honestly as you can. Check with friends and family to make sure you're being honest with yourself.
1. I have:
A) Lots of stamina and can work long hours at a stretch
B) The energy to get the job done
C) A preference for doing things at my own pace
D) A need for regular breaks and changes in my pace of work
2. My health is:
A) Pretty robust - I am hardly ever ill and remain robust
B) I can cope with most infections and frustrations pretty effectively
C) The occasional bout of 'flu, bronchitis or migraine apart, I can cope
D) I catch infections but I am careful to take precautions
3. Stress:
A) Is not a problem, I thrive on it
B) Occurs from time to time but I cope with it easily
C) Begins to tell on me after a bit
D) Causes me distress and physical problems
4. Socially:
A) Obviously I enjoy being liked, and generally I am, but I do not work very hard at it
B) Making the effort to get on with people has become second nature
C) I tend to keep myself to myself
D) I am a loner and I find socializing difficult
5. Risk taking:
A) Does not cost me sleep but I like to calculate the odds first
B) I think it inevitable but best avoided
C) Really makes me worry and I prefer to avoid it
D) Is part of my nature: I really enjoy a gamble
6. Self-confidence:
A) Is part of my nature I can do anything if I set my mind to it
B) Can usually be summoned up for most challenges
C) Is usually bogus for most people faced with something difficult
D) To me it is limited to the few things I have mastered form my youth.
7. My experience of business:
A) Is extensive at managerial levels in a variety of specialisations
B) Covers several aspects and I have watched managers at work
C) Is limited but I am a quick learner
D) Does not yet exist but I have bought some books on it
8. When disappointments or obstacles stop me:
A) I generally reorganise the strategy quickly and start all over again
B) I punch my way through regardless
C) I try something easier and more achievable instead
D) I stop and start a new round of planning and wait for a more propitious moment
9. My family:
A) Is really keen for me to have a go, and will muck in to help as needed
B) Has accepted my ambition to go it alone
C) Is reluctantly prepared to tolerate my choice
D) Is opposed to my starting a business
10. I take decisions:
A) Easily and quickly on the evidence available
B) After a long and detailed consideration and extensive research
C) Only in consultation with everybody who can have a useful input
D) Reluctantly, and I like to wait until it is absolutely necessary to see which is likely to be the best course
11. I am loyal to people:
A) As long as they do not abuse my trust
B) For a very long time, even if they do not always justify it
C) Come what may- loyalty is vital
D) Only when it is convenient
12. On personal ambition:
A) I have always had a pressing urge to be first and a winner
B) I really like to win but not at too high a cost
C) Success is good for the ego, but not indispensable for a balanced individual
D) A pleasant lifestyle and a good family life are the best things one can have
13. I can get on with people:
A) Almost all the time and with almost all types
B) If they are the types and have the attitudes I can get on with
C) At any time no matter what they are like
D) After reasonable acquaintances when I have found out what they are really like
14. Encountering setbacks:
A) It is a challenge to find a way round or through
B) Is demoralising but after a bit I usually persevere
C) Stops me in my tracks for a long time to consider
D) Makes me wonder if I am doing the right thing
15. I seek help and advice
A) On most of what I do, if only to act as a check on my judgement
B) Readily when I am out of my depth or on a subject I know little about
C) Occasionally, or when nothing seems to have worked
D) Pretty rarely
16. Leisure time is:
A) Completely unimportant to me, I would not know what to do with it
B) Enjoyable but not nearly as important as the business
C) As important as getting on with the work all the time
D) More important than working all the hours God sends
17. When afflicted with serious problems:
A) I am always a survivor
B) I can recover given time
C) The result depends on the problem
D) I like to get my head down and take time about rethinking
18. Insecurity:
A) Is a stimulant - I thrive on it
B) I can cope with it
C) Is to be minimised whenever possible
D) Worries me and I try to avoid it
19. I think success:
A) Is what you make it - it is always the persons own performance
B) Comes from having the right product
C) Demands ruthless dedication to your own goals
D) Is mainly the result of luck
20 Criticism:
A) Is not a problem: I take it in the spirit intended
B) Is useful if constructive
C) Helps depending on where it comes from
D) Makes me wonder why that person is attacking me
Score 4 points for A, 3 points for B, 2 points for C and 1 point for D.
- If you have scored 80, you are almost certainly lying to yourself, have a peculiar personality, and/or you will be a millionaire within 5 years.
- If your score is between 65 and 79, you probably have much of the temperament and many of the attitudes to go it alone in a successful business such as mine.
- With a score of 50 to 64, it might be wise to get several expert and experienced managers on board to help, even if you have a very good idea for starting a business. You probably won't succeed with my format.
A score less than 50, suggests that being an entrepreneur is probably not the ideal course for you. It may be too stressful and too much against your attitudes and preference to make it a sensible choice. |
