Doing a “Gut Check” – Signs You Should Consider Entrepreneurship

It’s been over a decade since I first started working with entrepreneurs. Some things have changed, like the impact of social media and technology on even the smallest of businesses. Yet some things have remained the same, like the gut feelings that push many people into the scary and thrilling decision to start a business. These feelings come out in the introductions people do in many of my workshops-the time when they describe that “fed up” feeling that leads them to take on the risk of becoming an entrepreneur. For those of you who haven’t had the experience of being in one of these workshops I thought I’d describe some of the more common themes here. These are the “gut feelings” that eventually lead to a new chapter in life.

It might be time to go it on your own when:

1. You have a new, better, faster or more effective way of doing your job and your boss doesn’t care or tells you to stop thinking outside the clearly defined box of your job
2. You feel your great ideas are filling someone else’s pockets or you never get credit for your work
3. You wake up with a feeling of dread or symptoms of illness, but only on work days
4. You worry about work all the time and not just during occasional “crunch time” periods

There’s a famous saying-“that’s why they call it work”-and no one expects your job to be a source of infinite fun and games. However, your job/career/business should not feel like torture either. If you find that your “gut” is telling you that you could be doing more…it may be time to move on. You can determine if you are cut out for running your own business by taking a course, meeting with a small business counselor or perhaps just talking with entrepreneurs in your area. Small business is not always a smooth road, however for many of us it’s a better road. If your talents are being wasted or abused it might be time to see if it’s the road for you.