Many CPAs dream one day of owning their own firm.
But are you cut out for the entrepreneurial life? Are you any good at it? And how do you improve? If “yes” to any of the above, then Congratulations! You could be one of the millions of people every year who take the plunge and start their ventures.
Daniel Isenberg, a professor of management practice at Babson College says he’s “learned in my own years as an entrepreneur that there is a gut level “fit” for people who are potential entrepreneurs. There are strong internal drivers that compel people to create their own business.
So he has developed a 20-question, 2–minute “Isenberg Entrepreneur Test,” below, to help you test your temperament for running your own business.
Just answer yes or no to each question, and at the end, count up your answers.
1. I don’t like being told what to do by people who are less capable than I am.
2. I like challenging myself.
3. I like to win.
4. I like being my own boss.
5. I always look for new and better ways to do things.
6. I like to question conventional wisdom.
7. I like to get people together in order to get things done.
8. People get excited by my ideas.
9. I am rarely satisfied or complacent.
10. I can’t sit still.
11. I can usually work my way out of a difficult situation.
12. I would rather fail at my own thing than succeed at someone else’s.
13. Whenever there is a problem, I am ready to jump right in.
14. I think old dogs can learn — even invent — new tricks.
15. Members of my family run their own businesses.
16. I have friends who run their own businesses.
17. I worked after school and during vacations when I was growing up.
18. I get an adrenaline rush from selling things.
19. I am exhilarated by achieving results.
20. I could have written a better test than Isenberg (and here is what I would change ….)
If you answered “yes” on 17 or more of these questions, Isenberg says you could have a future running your own practice.
via Should You Be An Entrepreneur?
One Response to “Should You Be the Boss?”
Joey Brannon
20. I am well acquainted with failure, not as a close friend but as a worthy adversary.