Life’s good, or okay at least. Or is it? While a huge majority of the human race might be complacent with this sort of bourgeoisie lifestyle, not all of us are cut out for it. And the very fact that you’re still reading this article is proof enough for me that you have no intention of identifying as a bourgeoisie. Oh, I like you! Now of course there are a lot of technical requirements to starting a business. Coming up with an idea, creating a business plan, finding an investment, hiring employees, and the likes. But before you get into all that, you need to make sure you’re actually ready for the whole being your boss thing. So here are 15 signs that you are ready to start your own business.
1. You are sufficiently motivated
“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat.” One of my favorite quotes from Napoleon Hill’s timeless classic “Think and Grow Rich”. This one’s pretty straight forward. To be ready to start your own business and succeed at it, you would have to really want it first. Do you?
2. You have a confident personality
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” From the book “This is My Story” by Eleanor Roosevelt. We live in a cruel world. Bear that there will always be people trying to hinder or belittle you and your progress. Now of course, there isn’t a thing in the world that should matter less than the opinions of those poor souls. But the bitter truth is, to most people it does. To stand apart, to succeed, you will need to sport a confident personality; to always be sure about what you’re doing or where you’re headed. Are you?
3. You are tenacious
“Patience and tenacity are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness.” Thomas Huxley. Not all successful people possess genius talent. It would be a fair bet to say that a vast majority of them were no different from you and I when they started. And they failed too. Often. But while most people tend to get demoralized at the first sight of failure, what they did was get right back up and try again. And again. And again. Until they succeeded. Can you?
4. You are passionate about what you are doing
“Don’t aim for success if you want it; just do what you love and believe in, and it will come naturally.” A timeless advice from David Frost. Work is hard. Always has been and always will be. Trick is to choose a line of business you’re so passionate about, that you will actually enjoy working hard. Look at every person in history who started a business and succeeded at it. They’ve always been exceptionally passionate about their work. Are you?
5. You enjoy learning
“I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.” From the American novelist Louisa May Alcott. Like the world in its entirety, the business world is one big mystery. And people who actually believe they know it all might very well know nothing at all. To successfully “sail your ship” you need to continuously feed yourself with knowledge and ideas. For which you must genuinely enjoy learning. Do you?
6. You have good people skills
“There is only one way to get anybody to do anything. And that is by making the other person want to do it.” Dale Carnegie, legendary self-improvement and interpersonal skills guru. People constitute the world and influence how it runs. So it’s a no brainer that they ought to be at the essence of any business venture. Might be your investors, or your customers. To succeed at business, you need to be excellent at understanding other people’s intents, and effectively communicating your ideas to them. Are you?
7. You are a visionary
“The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.” From the author of the popular book “Outliers”, Malcolm Gladwell. Visionaries make lasting business people. What sets them apart from the casual folks is that they can see to the end. And accordingly, they know what needs to be avoided and what needs to be done to succeed. If you want to own a business and be successful one at it, you must be know where it’s headed. Do you?
8. You have a good business team
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” Helen Keller. No successful venture in history was ever started alone. Behind every successful “self-made” person you hear about, are seldom heard of people that actually run the engines of the business. The idea is not to be as independent as you can. That’s simply not how it works. What you need is to have is a team of loyal, dedicated and talented people that not only can, but actually enjoy laying the bricks to your castle. Do you?
9. You are creative
“The painter has the universe in his mind and hands.” Leonardo da Vinci. Creativity is the ability to create new things and find unique solutions to existing problems. Sounds like a pre-requisite to any aspiring business person. To stand out in your line of business and succeed, you will have to bring something different to the table. Can you?
10. You despise authority
“If ever you feel like an animal among men, be a lion.” Criss Jami, in “Diotima, Battery, Electric Personality”. It is a rule of thumb. People who have a predisposition to starting a venture and succeeding at it have at the least a healthy disregard for authority. The very fact that you want to start a business and be your own boss is proof enough that you have no intentions of directly working under someone else. You like to think for yourself. Don’t you?
11. You can take risks
“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” John A Shedd. In a world surrounded by uncertainty, fluctuating market for instance, the one who embraces this uncertainty isn’t always safe from its claws. And this very fact scares a vast majority of your competition away from the game. But you must know that security and success don’t always come hand in hand, especially not as long as you’re still chasing the latter. You’re not in the game for security. You’re here to risk it all and win. Aren’t you?
12. You know your limits
“Oh, I’m not just going too far, I’ve arrived.” Jose Saramago, in “Seeing”. Know when to stop. Even if the years don’t make you smarter, they always make you wiser. And at some point you just realize you can’t have anymore. That’s when the wise one knows s/he doesn’t need anymore. Successful people can calculate success as well as they can dream of it. Can you?
13. You are organized
“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.” Benjamin Franklin. Unlike the common folks, business people don’t like to waste more time preparing for a work than on the actual work. For a business to succeed, you have to organize few things beforehand. Finding a retail partner or having your own website, as per the business needs, is a pretty good sign that you’re ready to dive into the world of business. When that’s inevitable, they learn from the new experience and make sure it never happens again. They have everything they need whenever and wherever they want it. Simply put, to be in control you need to be organized. Are you?
14. You are a leader
“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Warren Bennis. Often, it’s believed good leaders are born. Actually, good leaders are made, they’re product of experience, training and necessity, amongst others. And you know a good leader when you see one. Given a vision and all the necessary tools and crew at his/her disposal, a good leader knows how and when to lead. Do you?
15. You know your game
No famous quotation for this one. Simply cause it’s a no brainer. Before you can play a game, you need to know the game. Always know that there are people out there who are already doing what you plan on doing. Many of them professionals. And they’re all your competition. If you’re planning on entering a particular line of business, you need to make sure you know sufficiently enough if not as much as the people already in that business first. Only then you can act smart. And then, you dribble your ideas to goal. So do you know your game? Featured photo credit: Business People via Flickr.com via farm6.staticflickr.com
