Pre-Business Diagnostic
1.
I have a clear understanding about why I am going into business.
(There are many different reasons for going into business.
What are yours and why are they more powerful than other reasons you might have chosen.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
2.
These reasons for going into business are a strong motivational force
in me and will help see me through the times of possible adversity in
my business.
(If you have particularly strong reasons for going into business, keeping
that ultimate goal in mind will help you answer the question of "Why am I doing this again"?)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
3.
I have the support of my family/significant others in my life to
pursue this business.
(If you don't have the support of your significant other or your family, it
can be like fighting a war on two fronts. You don't want to do it unless it's
absolutely necessary.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
4.
I believe that I have, or can get, sufficient financial resources to start
and responsibly maintain my business.
(Under-capitalization is a common mistake of business start-ups. The
amount you need and potential resources for that funding may not be
known to you at this time but keep digging until you have some
preliminary figures that provide some idea of what is to come.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
5.
I believe that my business can generate enough income to satisfy me
and those who are dependent on me.
(Does the business you are considering have the potential to support the standard of
living that you and your family would like to become accustomed to. Be
honest--and don't give up your day job if you are not sure.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
6.
I understand the implications of my perceptual learning preferences
and the different conditions under which my learning effectiveness
can be maximized.
(As an owner of a small business, you will probably be spending more
time learning than at any other time in your life. Knowing how you learn
best can save you many hours and decrease your frustration level.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
7.
I know that I will probably need to learn different things about the
business on an almost continuing basis and I look forward to that
challenge.
(Learning in a new business means large doses of book smarts and street
smarts. You'll need to handle both of them and integrate them
where/when appropriate.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
8.
I understand the nature of my personality traits and how they can be
advantageous and disadvantageous in my small business.
(We all have different personality traits. The trick is to know what ours
are and how they can best be used in the most effective operation of our
business.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
9.
I have or will generate sufficient life energy to enable me to run my
business effectively and still have enough energy to contribute to the
other dimensions of my life that I also consider important.
(As human beings, we both create and consume mental and physical
energy in our daily lives. As you're considering going into business, you
want to be creating more energy than you are consuming so you have
some reserve to put into your business.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
10.
I know what steps I can take to make sure that I maintain
reasonable balance in my life, to not allow my business to
be my life but a part of my life.
("Work on your business, not in it", are words of wisdom from Michael
Gerber's The E-Myth Revisited. You are more than your business so
balancing the different dimensions of your life will help you to develop
and maintain a more complete life as you are engaged in running your
business.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
11.
I am aware of the various roles that I will probably have to play in
my small business and believe that I can perform them at least
adequately or in some other way get them covered.
(The position of small business owner/manager is arguably the toughest
job in business. You are expected to know and do (or get done somehow)
virtually everything connected with the business. Few of us are equipped
to handle all the roles effectively so the challenge is to know what you can
do and then delegate or outsource the rest in some kind of optimum
combination.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
12.
I have a good fundamental understanding of what is required in
the 5 general management function areas.
(These functions include Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing and
Controlling.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
13.
I am able to provide effective management in all of the 5 general
management function areas.
(Knowing the management functions is one thing; actually having the
confidence/ability to carry them out can be something else.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
14.
I understand my leadership style and can use it effectively in most
situations.
(Leadership here is defined as the ability to influence others in the pursuit
of specific objectives.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
15.
I am flexible in my leadership style depending on the situation.
(One way of looking at leadership styles is the ability to move freely back
and forth between task and people considerations.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
16.
I have a good understanding of the performance expectations of the
various specific operations management areas in my business.
(Operations management areas include such traditional business areas as
finance, human resources, marketing, and product/service.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
17.
I am personally able to perform effectively in the various operations
management areas in my small business and/or I know of additional
resources that I can access to help in areas where I may need help.
(As in the question regarding different roles, if you don't already know
how to operate in these management areas, you will have to pursue some
combination of learning, delegating, or outsourcing them.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
18.
I am a self-starter. I will make things happen in my business.
(Do you tend to initiate things or do you look to others to get the ball
rolling? Generally, in the small business field, you will need to self-start most of the time or your competition will beat you to the punch.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
19.
I have strong interpersonal skills.
(Even if you don't have employees, your ability to deal effectively with a
variety of other individuals, from customers to bankers, will be very
important.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
20.
I am tenacious about making my small business succeed.
(Within a wide range of personal characteristics, the ability to stick to a
job is considered to be on of the most important traits.)
Very Confident
Not Very Confident
No Confidence
Comments:
