There are a lot of reasons why you might want to start a business and be self employed. You’ve had the same desk job for several years. The pay is pretty good, but there is something about your situation that doesn’t make you happy. You often think that starting your own business will solve all your problems. But, will it really do that? Here are some questions you should ask yourself that will help you determine if starting your own business is right for you. It is important to understand that having your own business is hard work.

What skills do you need to start your own business? There are certain skills that all business owners in general need to have if you want to start your own business. Here’s a short list:

• Ability to set goals and achieve them
• Organizational ability
• Self motivated
• Not afraid to work hard
• Know what is needed in their field to succeed

The good news is that most of these skills can be learned. You just need to have the desire to learn them. Check out the advice at the Small Business Administration and Entrepreneur Magazine for advice. They actually have tutorials that can help you get your business set up and help you learn how to run a business.

Understand that self employed does not mean leisurely. If you are the type of person who loves the comfort and security of getting a set pay check every week, starting your own business is probably not the right option for you. Pay checks can be erratic and uncertain when you work for yourself, especially in the beginning. Some people have a warped idea that owing their own business will put them on the path of living an easy life. This is simply not the case. People who own their own businesses often need to work harder than people who have a job with a salary because a lot of home based business owners and small business owners either do not have a lot of employees or they may have none at all. This means that it is up to one person to do everything or outsource the rest.

What kind of home business or small business do you want? It is one thing to decide that you want to start your own business. It is quite another to figure out what you wan to do. Some people already know exactly what they want. Others know that they would like to be self employed but are not sure how. Until you can completely figure this out, there is no point to quitting your job. Here are some ideas. You can visit Entrepreneur.com or SBA.gov for more in depth information. But the list is a good starting off point.

• Freelance writing, editing, or graphic design
• Start a craft business
• Become part of a direct sales team through a company such as Avon, Tastefully Simple, or Pampered Chef
• Learn how too make money from websites and blogs
• Other jobs include personal trainer, personal chef, and selling your own information products such as ebooks

Do you have some money saved? When you start a new business venture, money will be an issue. For the first several months of being in business, you may not make a profit. But you do need to have enough money to pay your bills and buy groceries. Before you start your new business, it is a good idea to have some money saved up. If you don’t you may find yourself in rough shape financially. You’ll want to save up enough money to live on for at least a year. Sometimes it takes a while go get a new business to be profitable, even ones that are based out of the home. To find more information about saving and investing, visit the Motley Fool website. This is one of the best resources out there for financial information. If you have all of these elements in place, you are setting yourself up for success. If not, you may want to stop and consider if this is something you really want. If it is, take some time to think about these points.