Do you have what it takes to make it as a business owner? Making a realistic assessment of your skills, abilities, and interests should be considered essential. You most likely will not fit the entrepreneur profile exactly, but knowing your strengths and weaknesses gives you an advantage in preparing for the support you may need in running your business.

If your personal profile does not seem to line up with the following profile of characteristics of the typical successful entrepreneur, give some long, hard thought as to whether you are really cut out to be a business owner. The matter of your success is far too important to leave to chance.

#1 - Drive to Achieve
One factor that is found most often is highly successful business owners is a tremendous drive to achieve. This attitude tends to override everything else and seems to have almost everything to do with success.

#2 - Desire to Succeed
Success can be considered to be the constant achievement of worthwhile goals. Exactly what are worthwhile goals is a matter of individual interpretation. Obviously, any measure of success must agree with the Word of God.

#3 - Overall Tendency to Follow Through
This applies to any personal commitment or the accomplishment of any task. Even when the going gets tough, the entrepreneur is not apt to quit halfway through. In a word, you must have perseverance.

#4 - Positive Mental Attitude
Being generally optimistic even in challenging situations is a kind of attitude that generally grows out of being confident in who you are and understanding your abilities. Knowing who you are in Christ, and that you are called to the business arena, are major contributors to this.

#5 - Objective Approach
This entails the ability to realistically and accurately view each situation and assess associated risks and determine an appropriate course of action. Being able to honestly determine one's own abilities and limitations is vital, as is not thinking more highly of yourself than you ought.

#6 - A Respectful Attitude Toward Money
This includes a tendency to look upon money as a means for accomplishing things, rather than as a thing to be sought after as an end in itself. The love of money is still the root of all evil.

#7 - A Tendency to Anticipate Developments
Those who possess the ability to see things coming are able to take the appropriate course of action, rather than reacting only when circumstances are upon them. The prudent see danger and protect themselves.

#8 - Resourcefulness
The ability to solve unique problems in unique ways is vital for entrepreneurs. They are often demanded to handle new developments with no previous experience to rely on as a guide.

#9 - Stable Relationships
Being emotionally stable, cheerful, cooperative, and able to get along well with employees and associates are vitally important characteristics of successful business owners.

#10 - Effective Communications
The ability to effectively communicate and present your ideas for both verbal and written means is extremely important. You must be able to communicate an idea or vision beyond just stating the facts in order to generate a response in others.

#11 - Technical Knowledge
An entrepreneur is usually well-rounded, knowledgeable about business operations and practices, and able to skillfully utilize information towards effecting reasonable results.

#12 - Understands Own Skills
Successful entrepreneurs have taken a good, honest look at themselves. Answering the following questions is a good place to start. What do you like to do best? What are your three major skills, and what can you do better than most people? Describe your management abilities and how your experience applies to your business.

Running a business is nothing like working for someone else. You are responsible for everything. Truly, the buck stops with you. Are you a self-starter, capable of planning, organizing, and carrying out projects on your own initiative? If this all still sounds good to you, operating your own business can be source of immense satisfaction and can provide many wonderful rewards.