Self Assessment For Business Owners

Self assessment is important before you ever start your own business and become self-employed. Successful self employed persons come from all sorts of backgrounds and experiences. Age, gender, marital status, and education level do not seem to be significant factors for their success, but experience has shown that there are some common characteristics and skills which successful self-employed people have in common. Use the following list to determine your areas of strength and weakness.

• Do you have (or can you acquire) a skill or service that you can sell?
• Do you have good planning and organizational skills?
• Are you a good decision maker?
• Do you accept responsibility?
• Do you have leadership ability?
• Do you have problem solving skills?
• Do you have strong motivation to achieve your goals?
• Do you have good communication and marketing skills?
• Are you a calculated risk taker?
• Are you a hard and diligent worker?
• Are you street smart?
• Are you confident and optimistic?
• Can you handle challenges and failure?
• Are you flexible and adaptable in learning?
• Are you creative and imaginative in identifying new business opportunities?
• Do you have money or resources needed to start a business?

Different businesses may require different balances of these skills. If you're weak in a particular area, you can get training to gain the skills, seek professional advice from a specialist, or partner with someone who's strong in that area.