QUIZ: ARE YOU READY TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR?

This questionnaire is scientifically designed to help you assess yourself in terms of those characteristics
needed to successfully start and operate a business. If you can answer yes to a question all of the time
or most of the time, put a check in the column marked yes. If you can answer No to the question all of
the time or most of the time, put a check in the column marked no (After you finish the quiz, keep
reading to find out the answers to 50 of the questions most commonly asked by entrepreneurs.)
YES
1.

In conferences, do you find yourself clarifying what others have said?

2.

Did you do well in your written work at school?

3.

Do you believe in luck?

4.

Are you a good loser?

5.

Do you normally take a nap when you get home from work?

6.

Have you ever been in debt over your head?

7.

Do people sell you things you dont want?

8.

10.

In your business career so far, have you had the advice and counsel of
someone who has been around.
Do you generally plan out a course of action before getting involved with a new
venture?
Do you normally work on weekends?

11.

Are you able to handle a lot of things at the same time?

12.

When you start a task, do you normally see it through to the end?

13.
14.

When you are the only one in a group with a specific opinion, do you try to
convince the others to do it your way?
Do you look at problems as opportunities for decision making?

15.

Are you active in outside organizations as a volunteer?

16.

Do you read things outside of your own field of work?

17.

When speaking to people, do you generally try to match your vocabulary to that
of the person on the other side?
Do you usually arrive at airports, train stations, or bus stations early rather than
just in time?
Do you care whether your friends and relatives think you will he successful as an
independent businessperson?
Do you consider yourself a good listener?

9.

18.
19.
20.
21.
22.

When faced with a sudden change in plans, are you able to rethink your
situation and quickly move on a specific course of action?
Do you enjoy doing different things at work?

23.

Do you avoid making decisions when you know the consequences will hurt

NO

26.

someone like you?

Do you generally listen to people who are older and more experienced than you
are?
Have you taken any courses that would help you in your job in the last three
years?
Do you read any technical magazines in your primary field of work?

27.

Do you believe, If at first you dont succeed, try, try again?

28.

Do you worry when you get in debt?

29.

At the end of the day, do you generally have things left over for tomorrow?

30.
31.

Have you ever discussed with others the idea of going into business for
yourself?
Have you ever done anything against the wishes of your family?

32.

When you start a task, do you get so involved that you forget everything else?

33.
34.

When people ask you to do things, do you generally accept, or do you beg off
because you are too busy?
Do you understand basic bookkeeping principles?

35.

Do you have any close relative who are in business for themselves?

36.

38.

Do you find most of the people with whom you come in contact pleasant and
friendly?
Does your mood change depending upon the person with whom you are
dealing?
Do you believe time is money?

39.

Do you tend to support your own decisions and opinions vigorously?

40.

Do you know how to read a financial statement?

41.

Are proposals you make at meetings, discussions etc., generally accepted?

42.

Is it important to you to know where the next dollar is coming from?

43.

Do you seek out situations in which you will have extra responsibility?

44.

Do you work well under pressure?

45.

Do you generally pay attention to your boss and do it his (or her) way?

46.

Do you make it a practice to buy things for cash?

47.

When you run across a new idea, do you try to find out about it by reading about
it and asking people about it?
Did you act as an independent businessperson as a child (paper route, etc)?

24.
25.

37.

48.
49.
50.

Before falling asleep at night, do you normally plan out what you are going to do
the next day?
When people criticize you, do you take it kindly and try to change?

Self-Assessment Questionnaire
ANSWER SHEET

Question
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

Answer
Y
Y
N
N
N
N
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y

Category
C
C
F
E
I
O
B
L
A
I
J
A
B
D
H
M
C
D
F
C
K
K
K
L
M

Question
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.
31.
32.
33.
34.
35.
36.
37.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.

Answer
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
Y
N
N
Y
Y
Y
N

Category
M
E
G
A
L
G
I
M
N
Q
B
B
O
F
N
H
J
H
I
S
G
M
S
A
F

Compare the answers you have circled on the questionnaire form with the answer sheet provided. Put a
circle around all answers on the answer sheet that correspond with the answers you marked on the
questionnaire. Make an X through all answers that do not correspond with one another. To find out your
score, count the number of circled answers and divide that number by 50. Then multiply that number by
100. If this figure is 60 percent or lower, you should probably think a lot about whether you are really
suited for a business of your own. The higher the number, the better you appear to be suited for
becoming an owner/operator of a business.

Relationship Between Question

Categories and Questions
CATEGORY A: Goal Setting and PerseveranceIt is important for the owner/operator to have the
ability to set clear goals and objectives that are high and challenging, and at the same time realistic and
attainable. Concurrently, there must be a commitment to long-term future projects and to working toward
goals that might be quite distant in the future. Essential to success as an owner/operator is a strong
determination to get the job done at almost any cost in terms of personal sacrifice. Questions: 9, 12, 29,
49
CATEGORY B: Human-Relations AbilityThe successful owner/operator needs to be able to sell.
This means the ability to convince others to move in specific directions. This cannot generally be done if
the person does not have good relations with others. Characteristics such as cheerfulness, cooperation,
and tact are all-important. Questions: 7, 13, 36, 37
CATEGORY C: Communications AbilityVerbal communications, verbal and written comprehension,
and written-communications ability are necessary for the owner/operator. The ability to communicate
ideas to others is vital in every business but imperative in the small business. Questions: 1, 2, 17, 20
CATEGORY D: Competing Against Self-Imposed StandardsThe desire and tendency to set selfimposed standards that are high yet realistic, and then to compete with oneself, is important to the
success of an owner/operator. Since the goals of the business are set by the owner and met by the
operator, the small business must rely on the individual person who does both tasks if it is to become
successful. There is no one to blame for failure in a small business other than the person who wears all
the hats. Questions: 14, 18
CATEGORY E: Dealing with FailureSince things rarely go right the first time in a small business, it is
imperative that the owner/operator learns to use failure as a means of gaining a better understanding of
how to prevent the same thing from happening again. Questions: 4, 27
CATEGORY F: Self-Confidence and Belief in Self-DeterminationThe owner/operator must have a
firm belief in his or her ability to achieve goals that are self-determined. It is also vital that the person has
the belief that success and failure are within ones personal control rather than determined by luck.
Questions: 3, 19, 39, 50
CATEGORY G: Moderate Risk-TakingSince there is risk involved in every business enterprise, the
owner/operator should have a predisposition to take moderate, calculated risks that provide a challenging
yet reasonable chance for success. Questions: 28, 31, 46
CATEGORY H: Taking Initiative and Seeking Personal ResponsibilitiesThere is no one in back of
an owner/operator making important decisions or determining what comes next. An important ingredient
of success is filling a leadership vacuum when one exists. In addition, the would-be owner/operator
should like situations in which ones impact on problems can be measured. Questions: 15, 33, 41, 43
CATEGORY I:
Drive and Energy LevelRunning ones own business is hard work. The
owner/operator should have the ability to work long hours with less than normal amounts of sleep. Vigor,
good health, and persistence are very important. Questions: 5, 10, 32, 44
CATEGORY J: Tolerance for AmbiguityEvery small business has many crises that can only be
solved by the owner/operator. One should have the ability to live with modest-to-high levels of
uncertainty concerning job and career security and to be able to work on a number of different tasks
simultaneously. Questions: 11, 42

CATEGORY K: Thinking AbilityTo be a successful owner/operator and independent businessperson,

you need to be capable of original thinking, creativity, and critical analysis of situations. Problem-solving
ability is of prime importanceparticularly if it can be done well under pressure. Questions: 21, 22, 23
CATEGORY L: Use of Outside Resource PersonsThe owner/operator must have the demonstrated
capacity to seek and use the opinions of others in order to take corrective action and to improve the
quality of business decisions. This is an orientation that seeks to obtain expertise and assistance in the
accomplishment of goals. Questions: 8, 24, 30
CATEGORY M: Technical KnowledgeIt is dangerous for a person to go into a business that is
unknown territory. If the would-be owner/operator does not have the requisite knowledge, then it should
be obtained through a self-study program, working as an employee in a similar business, obtaining a
franchise, taking in a partner, or hiring an experienced employee. Some of these latter options are
obviously dangerous since they put the owner/operator at the mercy of others. Questions: 16, 25, 26, 47
CATEGORY N: Number SenseBusiness is evaluated through a series of accounting reports. A
person does not have to be an expert in understanding these reports, but numbers should not frighten
the would-be businessperson. Sooner or later, important decisions will have to be made based on the
numbers. The better the owner/operator is able to understand these figures, the better the decision will
be. Questions: 34, 40
CATEGORY O: Money SenseThe owner/operator must recognize that money is an important factor in
running a business. Gaining an early respect for money and learning how to use it is important if an
independent businessperson is to succeed. Questions: 6, 38
CATEGORY Q: Family BackgroundSuccessful owner/operators often have family backgrounds that
show evidence of entrepreneurial endeavor on the part of the father, mother, or close relative.
Questions: 35
CATEGORY S: Employment HistoryPeople who really want to go into business for themselves have
a hard time working for others. They feel most bosses arent as smart as they are, and the jobs seem to
get dull very quickly. Paper routes or other independent work history as a child help create the selfemployment spirit in people. Questions: 45, 48