The Entrepreneur's Complete Self-Assessment Guide: How to Accurately Determine Your Potential for Success

Peter Strathy is Vice-President Planning, Doctors’ Hospital, Toronto.

Self-employment in small business enterprises has been for a decade the fastest growing segment of the Canadian economy. While many people will at some point in their lives fantasize about starting and running their own business, research studies confirm that successful small business management demands above all else certain personal qualities. These personality characteristics are possessed by only a small percentage of the population. This guide is designed to assist the would-be entrepreneur to assess, in an objective and thorough fashion, personal strengths, weaknesses, and suitability for the demands of small business enterprise and to think through all relevant issues prior to taking the plunge.

The author is a recognized expert on the development of both entrepreneurial enterprise and educational programs for small business advisors. The book has three major sections. Section 1 describes entrepreneurial activity and outlines the basic characteristics of the successful entrepreneur. Section 2contains three structured quizzes with marking keys designed to enable the reader to complete a self-assessment of personal suitability for small business operation. Section 3 includes both detailed information on a range of relevant small business topics and additional structured questionnaires which force the reader to think through, very carefully, key personal and business decisions. The outline of a business plan completes the work, along with useful appendices on buying an existing business and evaluating a franchise.

This is a very comprehensive and useful book. It provides much valuable information but, more important, supplies the necessary tools for guided self-assessment and evaluation of business opportunities. In essence, it presents a structured dry run of the key business considerations that can determine the success or failure of a small business concept. This book should be in the reference collection of all public libraries. Readers will want to purchase their own copy to use as a workbook.