-I have extensive management experience and want to see what I can accomplish by owning my own business.
-I want to be more independent and have the freedom to make changes and decisions that I think will best meet the needs of customers and staff.
-To have a second career. I want to continue to be involved in a business during semiretirement.
-To grow my net worth. I figure owning a business I control and manage is safer than investing in the stock market.
-I have ideas, passion, and a vision for a specific industry and have identified a market segment that is not currently being served well.
-I have a product/concept that I want to develop, market, and sell.
-Owning a business has always been one of my dreams, and I feel I have something unique to offer.
-A business is the best vehicle to fulfill my ambition in life.
All of the eight answers to the question are good answers. Not everyone is cut out to be self-employed. It takes courage and a healthy ego to be self-employed. The fact that you got this far in this book says a lot about you. Does this guarantee success? No. But your willingness to read through this large list of questions show a desire to learn. Without the desire to learn, you cannot grow. That is the genesis of courage: the willingness to grow.
There is definitely an adventurous appeal to owning a business, especially for men (we seem to have an ad venture bug in our genes), and there is the temptation to jump right in. But it’s important not to act first, then ask questions later. In fact I’ve heard it best described using an analogy of shooting a target. Some people fire, fire, fire, fire. Then eventually they say to themselves, “Uh, that did not work. Guess I better slow down ad do this right. Ready, aim, fire.” To be an accurate marksman you first aim at your target, ready yourself and the weapon, then pull the trigger to fire the gun.
TRAP: Getting excited and emotional about a business is important, but it does not supersede good planning and execution.
It takes courage to take the tie to invest in planning before buying a business. It shows a healthy ego that is well managed, recognizes that you are not perfect, and that your time spent in this life is valuable and worth protecting.
There are as many good reasons to own a business as there are people. What matters is that you know your reasons and that they are par of a well thought out plan. Write down your reasons and the goals you wish to achieve being self-employed. Then weave them into your vision and mission statement.
