So you want to start a business
The Office of Women's Business Enterprise suggests that those considering starting a business think through the following questions:
1. As a problem-solver, I am
* good
* average
* poor
2. I get along with people
* very well
* well
* rarely
3. I take direction
* very well
* well
* reluctantly
4. I take the initiative
* usually
* sometimes
* seldom
* never
5. My self-confidence is
* very high
* high
* moderate
* shaky
6. I work better
* under supervision
* with a group
* alone
7. In an emergency
* I need support
* I am usually the strong one
8. As a risk-taker
* I like a sure thing
* I'm careful
* I'm a high-flyer
9. I make decisions
* quickly
* slowly
* seldom
* alone
Why do I want to go into business?
1. My personal responsibilities have
* increased
* decreased
* no one needs me anymore.
2. I need more money
* for necessities
* extras
* financial independence
3. To be my own boss
*
4. To market my own skill or product
*
5. I can't find a job I like
*
6. I've helped someone run a business for years, and now I want to do it on my own
*
7. My family has always been in business
*
8. It would be the culmination of all my hopes and plans
*
9. I have to prove that I can
* for myself
* for my family
10. It would make me feel like a human being again
*
What makes me think I can succeed?
1. My financial assets are
* limited
* fair
* sufficient for a year
2. My business experience has been
* limited to selling
* managerial
* primarily bookkeeping and secretarial
* varied and long
3. Experience in my chosen field has been
* nil
* short-term
* long enough to convince me that I can do it
4. Responsibility is
* new to me
* not new to me
* important to me
5. I expect to work
* long hours
* less than I do now
* to fit my own life pattern
6. Immediate profits
* are
* are not important to me
7. My expectations are
* high
* realistic
* unsure
8. I have had volunteer experience as a
* major fund-raiser
* administrative officer
* other ( )
When did I decide to go into business?
l. On the spur of the moment, after
* fight with boss
* quitting a dead-end job
* suggestion of friends
* other
2. Decision thrust on me
* by divorce
* widowhood
* inheritance
3. Thoughtful, planned decision is
* logical next step in career pattern
* in family tradition
* characteristics of business leadership evident since childhood
4. Decision is
* definite
* still being weighed
* tentative
Where will I conduct my business?
1. At home because
* I have small children
* expenses would be minimal
* building regulations permit it
2. In other people's homes because
* it is a service like catering
* a skill like upholstering
3. In a shop in
* neighborhood
* shopping center
* downtown
4. By mail
* my own circular
* catalog listing
* want ads
5. Door-to-door
*
6. Other ( )
The office emphasizes that there is ''no automatic grading process for these questions,'' but says if you think you can succeed ''because you have enough financial assets to carry you through the first crucial year; your business experience has been long and varied and responsibility is no stranger to you; you are willing to work long hours and do not expect immediate profits - you are probably right. Still no guarantee - but preliminary indications are good.''
