The 8 Toughest Questions Before Starting a Business

In this National Business Association article, Michael Brassil poses the following eight tough questions you should ask yourself before starting a new business:

1. How will the business affect your family?
2. How will you support your family while building up your business?
3. How well do you get along with different personalities?
4. How good are you at making decisions?
5. Do you have the physical and emotional stamina to run a business?
6. How well do you plan and organize?
7. Do you have the drive to maintain your motivation?
8. Do you have the discipline to do what has to be done?

If you're considering entrepreneurship, there really are some "right" and "wrong" answers. OK, maybe not "wrong" answers, but if you know you're work in an area that entrepreneurs need, you'll be prepared to either compensate or find a partner who is strong in that area.

There's one point I don't entirely agree with him about, though. He writes:

When working for someone else, it becomes routine to rise early, be well-groomed and get to the office on time. However, a significant number of people starting up a small business at home all too often find themselves at 10:00 in the morning in their bathrobes, drinking a second or third cup of coffee.

He says that as if that's a bad thing! I do that sometimes, but by choice, not lack of discipline. As far as I'm concerned, that's one of the benefits of working for yourself at home. If you don't have to do a lot of face-to-face and telephone work, it really doesn't matter when you choose your work hours. Sometimes (like now), I'm working at 11:30 on a Saturday night. Frankly, I write better now than I do at 8:30am on a Monday morning! Different strokes for different folks. Do what works for you.

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