***Seven Ways to Tell if Starting a Business Will Work for You

Contrary to what you might think, most successful entrepreneurs enjoy a sense of calm control over their own lives. Compared with people who spend their lives working for other people, subject to whims not remotely under their control, entrepreneurs have a much better shot at happiness and inner peace. But starting a company doesn’t always work out so well. It’s rare to find much joy in a business that fails, exhausts you, or makes you a stranger to your family. Everyone has their own unique interests and objectives, but it makes sense to identify the common ground. Over the years, the happiest entrepreneurs I’ve known are those who really enjoy the process of getting something off the ground. For the right person, even overseeing a failure is a way to learn the right steps to get it better next time. With this in mind, here are a few ways to evaluate if the path you’re thinking about is right for you:nnDo what you love. When your passion and your enterprise are in sync, the effort feels more worthwhile.nnRemember that size matters. You might want to grow into a vast enterprise - or you might not. To be successful, a company must generate sufficient and sustainable profits, not necessarily grow big. Sometimes, intentionally keeping your organization small can allow you to enjoy a better quality of life.nnSatisfy your curiosity. Read everything you can get your hands on. Become a student of your industry, your enterprise and your life. Take professional courses, like those available at Trump University, to get the most relevant and actionable information.nnFind ways to be unique. There are winning formulas in every business, and straying too far from these can get you into trouble. But you can still experiment with ways to differentiate yourself from the pack, especially when they make your company’s offerings look more exciting and rewarding.nnMake your work count. When you own a company, your time is scarce. It’s energizing to roll up your sleeves, but balancing what’s urgent and what’s important is a crucial skill to develop.nnBuild something to last. Done right, your business will generate value for today and tomorrow. It always pays to do a great job for your customers and have them come back for more. As discussed in the Entrepreneurship Mastery Program, there are crucial differences between just doing it and doing it right.nnDon’t make family balance an afterthought. Think about it from day one. If you get it wrong in the early stages of being an entrepreneur, it will be a lot harder to repair later on.nnYou are invited to take part in Andrew Bein’s Microsoft Office Live "What's Your Motivation?" seminar, to be held on Thursday, May 17, 2007 from 9:00-10:00 AM Pacific Time. CLICK HERE to register for Office Live Event ID #1032337748. Or to register through Microsoft’s Live Event homepage, CLICK HERE.nnn

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nAndrew Bein runs Active Inquiry, a direct-marketing advisory firm specializing in helping companies develop products into profitable services. He is a recognized expert at using direct-response practices to inexpensively define and test new initiatives.