Ten Questions For Entrepreneurs To Ask Themselves

1.Do I have the persistence and patience necessary to be a business owner?It would be nice if once you wrote your business plan all you needed to do would be to execute flawlessly and everything would fall into place. Maybe it happens to a few businesses but usually in some part of the plan you get different results than you expected. It takes patience to wait for the result in the first place. It takes persistence to keep updating your plan and then trying something else until you find how to make it work.

2.Does this business idea really energize me? Am I really excited about it?If your vision of this business is really compelling it will give you the energy to move forward on your idea. The energy allows you to persist even when things are not going as planned and it helps you to generate enthusiasm in others.

3.Can I generate enthusiasm about my idea from others? New business owners have to spend most of their time marketing initially. If the business owner him/herself can get others excited about his/her business idea, then that is the first step in generating interest from a customer/client or a strategic partner. The owner must be able to articulate the idea in a way that is convincing to the customer or client.

4.Am I convinced that I am exactly the right person to own this business? Can I articulate why? Self-confidence is important in the success of the business. You must believe in yourself before others will believe in you.

5.Do I have the commitment necessary to put aside other interests to focus my energy on this business?There will be lots of distractions while you start your business. Are you willing to commit to whatever it takes to get the business up and running successfully?

6.Am I able to quickly recover from setbacks and not take things personally?Can you still keep working and feeling confident even on a day that a big client or big prospect decides against using your service or buying your product?

7.Who will support me in this endeavor?It helps to have people in your life that appreciate you and really want you to succeed. Family support is critical because you'll need to spend large amounts of time working and your family needs to understand this. Mentors, colleagues and coaches also are important for advice and encouragement.

8.Do I have enough financial reserves to carry me until I am profitable?Your business needs enough capital to get going until it is profitable. You also need money in reserve for your personal expenses if things get tight. Worrying about money will sap your energy.

9.What weaknesses do I have that may get in my way as I start this business? What will I do about them?Identifying your weaknesses and strengths is an important task. Use your strengths in running your business and find ways to off load the tasks you are not good at. Shore up those weaknesses as best you can in the beginning when finances are tight. Being aware of them is the first step.

10.What is my intuition telling me about this venture?Be in tune with your intuition. Business people get caught up in the analytical part of the business. The numbers are very important in running your business but don't ignore what your gut tells you. Leave some time in your day to spend time thinking about your vision. (Daydreaming!)

About Alvah Parker

Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Her clients are attorneys, business owners, sole practioners, and people in transition. She is also a Practice Advisor for attorneys. She coaches lawyers to create thriving businesses. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.

RELATED ARTICLES

Cover Letter Sample -- For the Corporate Flight Attendant
Writing a cover letter to send with your rÃ©sumÃ© can be both confusing and frustrating. What exactly should you say? Are you saying too much? Are you only speaking about your needs vs. the company's needs? Oh, what to do! In this "short" piece, I will list some ideas on how to craft your cover letter. I have also provided some important links -- for additional assistance -- particularly if you find yourself still needing outside help.

Three Myths About Resume Writing
Your perspective on resumes ? what they are and how they function ? will doubtless influence how well you can write your own. To create an outstanding resume, begin by questioning and replacing some of the commonly held assumptions about resume writing.

Is Your Job Search Guided by the Controller or the Controllee?
I'll define what I mean by these terms."The Controller" is a job seeker that is ruled by doing everything right. He/shehas read all of the appropriate books,done a good job composing a resume,but is still unemployed.

Get Inspired About Your Career
Get Inspired about Your Career

Passing The Police Test Just Became Easier
You've taken the police officer selection test or law enforcement entrance exam, but just can't seem to get a high enough passing score. You know you would be a good police officer if you could overcome that first hurdle. Well, your not alone. Thousands of police officer applicants fail the entrance exam every year, but that's now a thing of the past. Introducing PoliceQuiz.com.

Is A Career a Calling or Choice?
How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at the beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform. But many of us are not tuned into ourselves and the signs that are presented to us. We often miss important information, and miss out on those lessons, people, and jobs.

Four Important Questions to Ask Your Interviewer; Do You Really Want to Work for This Person?
Many job seekers miss a golden opportunity when they are asked towards the end of an interview if theyÂ have any questions. If they feel the interviewer adequately explained the position, they make the mistake of answering "No" to this question. But this is the perfect time to find out if you really want to work for this person!Â After all, even a wonderful job can turn into a miserable experience if you don't get along with the person you work for.

Are You Tired of Hiring Other Peoples Rejects? - 12 Mistakes Recruiters Make and How To Avoid Them
When John applied for a job at Oakland Company, his resume looked fabulous, showing tremendous talent and advancement. His qualifications were beyond question and he built immediate rapport with everyone in the interview process. Every one of his references checked out. Six months later, you were wondering why you hired this clown.

10 Tips to Help You Ace the Interview and Get the Job
The interview is the "beauty contest" part of the job search process. Interviewers get to compare candidates by asking them similar questions and comparing the answers. Being just the right person for the job won't help you if you blow the interview.

Are You Winning the Talent Wars?
How many times have you heard or read, "Our employees are our greatest asset"?

Sample Cover Letters ... The Hidden Pitfalls
You can benefit from sample cover letters as they can help you learn about the constructs of a high quality cover letter.

Strange Jobs Still Pay The Bills
Strange jobs? How do we define that? Years ago I stole cars as a repo-man, had some adventures as an investigative process-server, and even handed out samples in grocery stores. Here are some other unusual jobs you can aspire to:

Don?t Discount the Temporary Position Interview
If you think, 'it's just an interview for a temp job -- no big deal,' that's where you're mistaken. Some wonderful opportunities, networking connections and careers have resulted from temporary positions.

How To Write A Job Winning Resume That Puts Yours On Top
Many people would love to get a better job. And most of these same people have the proper training and skills to achieve this goal. Unfortunately, so many job hunters have very poor communication skills. They are unable to clearly tell potential employers about their job qualifications. In short, they do not have good job seeking skills. In many cases, this prevents them from getting a high paying job that they could easily do. Often, the job will go to someone who is less skilled but who has written a eye-catching resume.

4 Tips for Making Successful Job Offers
The interviews are completed, the paperwork is all filled out for Human Resources, and you have decided that this is the right candidate for the job. Now comes the formal job offer. Here are four tips to increase the success rate of your job offers:

Diplomats and Spies
"The Baratarian pirates also offered their services. Even though an American naval force had destroyed their base on Grand Terre Island in September, the Baratarians rejected British overtures to side with them. (6) {Other accounts make it clear the men were willing to go it alone or against the Americans and yet Lafitte convinced them to support the American cause. I see this as part of the French Masonic or Merovingian/Priory plan that included Napoleon. Lafitte and Joseph Napoleon later tried to break Napoleon out of St. Helena. I think Lafitte was their agent and played any role or side to support their cause first and foremost. They wanted the US to become a real force in the world. Their counterparts in England had declared French Masonry was without a soul. They had formally declared them to be any number of silly things. It continues to some extent to the present. I shall address this more as I proceed but suffice it to say that at some level we have an inner sanctum of people who are playing both sides for fools.} Instead they pleaded with American officials to accept their services. According to one observer, 'this transition from piracy to Patriotism' was due to the influence of Edward Livingston. The pirates had promised Livingston $20,000 if he could secure their acquittal on charges of violating the trade laws,?" (7)

You Never Get A Second Chance To Make A First Impression
There is no easy way to define exactly what editors, publishers, PR managers, non-profit directors, advertising executives, and other industry professionals want from writers.

Choose Your References Wisely!
So, you need to submit employment references. A simple task, right? Sure, you could contact three of your closest friends and ask them to be your references. They may be able to testify to your character, but do they know how well you would perform on the job? Probably not. Let's explore the types of references you must seek, the number of people you should include, and to whom references should be submitted.

18 Career Enhancement Caveats
Core value investing in your career

Why You Need To Be An Intrapreneur
When a client asks me if I think he or she is a good candidate for starting a new business, I ask several questions (see our free assessment, "Are You an Entrepreneur?"). But the truth of the matter is that these questions are similar to ones that I'd ask someone who wants to move up in an organization or find a new position elsewhere. When people call an executive coach after deciding to make a change or being laid off, those who have treated their career like their own business will have a much easier time.

Home |Site Map