Starting your own small business is no walk in the park, especially if you are considering doing it full time. Having a part time business on the side of a full time job is especially good to bring in some extra income but developing a startup business from scratch takes a special type of personality.

Have a good look at yourself and consider asking yourself these questions:

• Are you an individual that is looking to get out of the nine to five routine of a career under an employer?
• Are you an individual that wants to start their own business and has the hunger to be his/her own boss?
• Do you have your own small business idea that you really can’t wait to have a go at trying to make a success?
• Do you have the desire to work for yourself and think you can succeed going it alone?

If the answer is Yes to any of those questions, then it looks as if you have passed the first personality test it takes to be self-employed - Let us continue.

Starting a small business will be one of the most demanding challenges you as an individual will face in your life time, that I guarantee. The pressure and work load placed on small business owners and entrepreneurs is quite often too much, hence why so many businesses fail within their first two years. A lot of people work at their most efficient when they are under pressure. Pressure drives motivation and a lot of people need that sort of challenge to feel like they are really working towards a target. Some prefer not to be pressured but quite often these types of people aren’t risk takers and generally are left in full-time employment under the command of their seniors. You need to work out which type of person you are. Can you work under pressure and are you prepared to take risks? Or would you rather somebody else relieved you of those pressures? - If the latter, my guess is you’ve found the wrong website today.

Running your own small business is a big commitment to shoulder. It also has a responsibility that you have to be 100% dedicated and committed to, combined with having a hunger for success. Let us not forget that as a self-employed individual, it is up to you to bring home the bread each night, its up to you to hit revenue and profit targets - it’s your business.

I would imagine by this stage you have a number of questions floating around your head, perhaps even a few mild concerns over whether you are truly right for business. I’m not going to lie but so you should, too many small business owners underestimate what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur which is perhaps why failure rates are so ridiculously high. These doubts you may be having are perfectly normal and this is the reason why this is such a topical discussion to help you alleviate those doubts before you make the decision to consider a small business startup.

The thought of a challenge should always motivate you, so to should the thought of your businesses success. You should be prepared and absolutely committed to putting everything you can muster into making your business last through its early months, as these are without doubt the most important for your businesses future. If this isn’t you, that’s fine, but self-employment definitely isn’t for you I’m afraid.

To your success!