Starting a business is exciting and nerve-wracking. It will be one of the biggest investments you’ll make during your lifetime. Not just financially, but emotionally as well. Doing it right will mean taking on a lot of responsibilities and making a lot of sacrifices. It will also mean working harder than you ever have before. For these reasons, business ownership is not for everyone. If you don’t have the right skills, personality, and commitment to operating a business, you’ll be in trouble before you make your first sale. So before you begin planning your E-Commerce business, you need to take a hard look at yourself, your family, and your finances and give honest answers to some very important questions. The following questions will help you weigh your characteristics and beliefs against the realities of business ownership. Don’t worry if you find that a few of the questions reveal doubts or weaknesses. Nobody’s a perfect match for any profession. But if you find any of the questions troubling, you may want to rethink your decision to go into business.

1) Are you willing to accept the responsibility of operating your own business? Forget the tidy little set of responsibilities that came with a position in corporate life. When you run a business, you’re in charge of everything from opening the doors in the morning to cleaning up at night. Then when you go home, you worry. The hours are long, there’s a high degree of stress, and there’s always too much to do and not enough time to do it. You’ll have to deal with your customers and your employees. You’ll be responsible for the finances of the business and dealing with taxes. And you’ll need to fill out a lot of forms and sign a lot of checks. Make sure you understand what you’re getting into. As a business owner, you’ll have more responsibilities than you’ve ever had before, no matter your previous jobs. If you understand this simple fact, you’ll be ready to take your responsibilities on.

2) Are you comfortable making hard decisions? As the owner of a business, you’ll also have to make many decisions that affect the business, and your livelihood. Many times they may be tough to make, including the decision to lay people off if your business falls on hard times. It will require decisiveness, mental toughness, and resolve. If you have trouble when faced with tough choices, this could be a problem area. Do you think owning your own business is the way to easy money? Think again. Many people end up sacrificing income to open their businesses, at least at first. That’s the price they’re willing to pay for independence. If you’re thinking of giving up a promising career and a lucrative income to start your business, be realistic about your financial needs and whether the business will meet those needs. Remember, you’re building a business. It may take you several years to get to the income level you want or need. On the other hand, you may decide that you’re willing to sacrifice some money for the reward of being your boss. Many people have found it to be worth every penny.

3) Are you starting a business out of desperation? This is a very real concern, particularly in light of the huge number of experienced businessmen and businesswomen who have been cast adrift in the job market through corporate downsizing in recent years. If you’re one of these people and are thinking about starting a business because you think it’s your only option, be very careful. Yes, it can be the answer to your future security, but only if you’re willing to make the necessary commitments and sacrifices. The world of business ownership is vastly different from the corporate world. Make sure you recognize the differences before you make the move.

4) Are you well organized? The day-to-day operation of your business is going to require you to assume many responsibilities. Let’s consider an average day. You may need to do the payroll, talk to suppliers, pay a few bills, work on a new advertising pamphlet, and prepare some tax forms. At the same time, you’ll be filling orders and making sure they get sent out on time. Then there’s always the unexpected your computer bombs or the air-conditioning conks out. As a business owner, you’ll need to keep many balls in the air at one time. Your ability to juggle all these responsibilities will directly affect your success. If you’re well organized, you’ll have a list of the things you need to do, and you’ll methodically go through it during the course of the day. If you’re interrupted, you’ll pick up where you left off after you’ve dealt with the problem. If you’re still not through at the end of the day, you’ll sit there and work until you’ve finished. Procrastinators do not do well in business. If you get behind, you’re sunk.

5) Are you creative? It’s an asset to any business. No matter how great your product is, you’re not going to be the only one selling it. Marketing and advertising are critical to getting customers’ attention and encouraging them to buy. If you have a creative streak, whether it be copywriting, graphic design or even an offbeat sense of humorist will be an invaluable asset to your business. This is doubly true in E-Commerce. Since your customers can’t see the items they’re purchasing “in the flesh,” so to speak, they need to be enticed by the visual presentation and written description in your promotional materials.

6) Are you flexible? In business, if an idea or plan doesn’t work, you can’t let yourself waste time, energy, and emotion bemoaning its failure. You need to quickly come up with an alternative solution. Flexibility and adaptability are the keys. You’ll need to stay focused to achieve your goal, but you may need to try several different paths to get there. For example, in the E-Commerce order, one marketing approach may work for a while and then stall. At that point, you’ll need to come up with something new. Remember, every business plan and every business can benefit from a fresh look every once in a while, even when things seem to be going along just fine.

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