How to Decide if Entrepreneurship is Right for You

How to Decide if Entrepreneurship Is Right for you was the title of a promo article from the Wall Street Journal’s website pumping an upcoming book by Colleen DeBaise.  I have no idea who she is and am positive she has good intentions with the article.  But I read it this morning and it really got me going.  I don’t want to soapbox it too much here, but reading a book or article or even my amazing blog about entrepreneurship and then basing your decision on whether to pursue your idea or not is silly.

Am I passionate?, can I handle risk?, am I good at making decisions?, am I willing to take on numerous responsibilities?, etc.  These are questions for anyone, not just an entrepreneur.  Most startups I work with are very cognizant of risk.  It scares the hell out of many of them (and their husbands and wives) just like it would anyone “working for the man”.

If you want to be successful in anything, you need the skills DeBaise mentions.  You don’t climb the corporate ladder by showing up late and leaving early or by making bad decisions.

The bottom line for me is that starting a business doesn’t have to be a cliff dive.  You can dip your toe in and go from there.  You can start on a smaller scale in your garage or your parent’s basement.  Keep your day job for a while, make some sacrifices, and go from there.  Things worth doing are rarely all that easy – regardless of if it’s working for yourself or someone else.

Dan Beenken, Director of the UNI Small Business Development Center