Have you imagined what it would be like to set your hours, fire your boss and be free of the office politics? Bask in the glory you can imagine from being a smashing success and rolling in the dough!

Wait just one moment, don’t sign the contract for the summer home in the Hamptons just yet. There is something you need to consider first: Is it in you to be a true entrepreneur? Do you have the stamina and the guts to earn lots of money and be rich?

To get to the bottom of this question you should compare yourself to the following characteristics, Can you / do you:

-Press on when there is no gratification, results are slow to come? In the beginning the sheer rush of owning your own business will color the way you see and feel about everything. Adrenaline will pound through your veins for days or even a month.

Then reality sinks in and you are working just as many hours as you did for your boss simply trying to keep the business afloat and there is no excitement left. Perhaps the worst part of all is the fact that you are not seeing anything in the way of results. That means there is very little to motivate you and move your business forward.

Answer me just one question: Will you keep at something even if pay off is delayed? If you can honestly answer in the affirmative then you may have what it takes to be an entrepreneur.

-Walk away from a losing proposition? Anytime you spend days or weeks on a proposition it can feel like your baby. Honestly, it rather is, at least in a manner of speaking, I mean this is your brainchild.

No one is perfect and before you know it you can be neck deep in a bad concept that threatens the very life of your business. Is it in you to let go and move on to the next idea in spite of your emotional attachment to the plan? Do this part well and you are on your way to being a good entrepreneur.

-How is your self assurance? Your friends and even your family are going to have enough doubt to share. Laughing at you and calling your plans ridicules may be common place and if you buy into any of this you will never make it.

If you have confidence in your capabilities and your proposal then you might have the stuff to be an entrepreneur.

-Have a good idea of the value of your product or service? The number one problem with new business owners is in the beginning they will sweat blood and tears for very little money. Many times this is a result of faulty thinking. The new entrepreneur knows they would not or could not afford to pay a specific amount for the product and therefore they price it too low.

Remember you are not the target market, you are not the consumer. Since you are providing a needed service or product that is highly valued by consumers you should naturally be paid accordingly. Rest assured if you charge too much the customer will be quick to inform you.

Until that happens you should place a good value on the product or service you are offering. When you value what you are, offering you will be a good entrepreneur.

-Problem solver? This is the big final question, can you solve problems?

Entreprenuers must be problem solvers, there is simply no one else to solve them. This is your business, your baby if you will and the buck stops with you. All the corporate big dogs are gone and you are the boss!

The biggest reason of all to be a problem solver however is for your customers. If you can find the thing that people are struggling with and then provide a solution you are well on your way to being a good entrepreneur.