Self-assessment throughout the stages of planning and launching your business is a critical and cost-effective way to evaluate your own progress. Dedicating time on a regular basis to evaluate the progress of the business and the development of your own skills to run that business will help you stay focused on key tasks to achieve launch milestones. Moreover, self-assessment can be a tool used to balance your time between your work and personal life.
The ability to evaluate your business is a skill that any entrepreneur can learn to develop. After all, you will be the CEO of your business, and therefore are responsible for ensuring you live up to the values and standards you want your employees to follow and your customers to trust.
Your first assessment should determine if you are ready for entrepreneurship. The following are examples of early stage readiness assessments. The aim is to introduce you to some key elements to consider prior to taking drastic steps to start your business—such as quitting your job, purchasing or renting a business location.
Dallas BRAIN: Pre-venture Worksheet
South Georgian Bay Small Business Enterprise Center: Entrepreneur Self-Assessment
These assessments take about 10 minutes to do. The Dallas BRAIN worksheet can be completed and then discussed in the first day of the Business Foundation Series on Wednesday, January 17th at 6pm. The second, Entrepreneur Self-Assessment, has a series of statements from three categories (Skills & Experience, Personality/Characteristics, and Networks). After you rank your abilities from 1 to 5 for each statement according to the instructions in each category, you will have a better understanding of your own strengths that are relevant to entrepreneurship.
If you are unable to attend the first Business Foundation Series workshop to further discuss your self-assessment, you can further your understanding and development of entrepreneurial skills by checking out resources available at the Dallas Public Library. The following are a few resources about how to understand your strengths, and develop skills, such as time management, to improve your business acumen.
Hidden Strengths: Unleashing the Crucial Leadership Skills You Already Have
Entering StartUpLand: An Essential Guide to Finding the Right Job
The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer
Clicking on each of the above library resources will direct you to its location in the online library catalog. These books are all available for check-out with your Dallas Public Library Card. Click the ‘Place Request’ button to the right of the page. Then, enter your library card number and password to finalize the request. Or call your preferred library branch for assistance, and have the item sent to any of the 28 branches in the Dallas Public Library system.
