Sometimes, you can wake up, open your eyes, pull the covers off and wonder, "How am I going to make it through another day at my job?" You shake it off as you shower, get dressed, get on the bus or in your car and by the time you reach the office, you're geared up to tackle the world. You've put in a lot of time into your career with this company and you're pretty comfortable with your responsibilities and daily activities. You don't agree with everything that goes on within the company or in that industry but, hey, it's not your company, right? But what if it is your business and you wake up with those same thoughts? Are you really on the right entrepreneurial path? Is the business you chose to develop, really satisfying? Here are some questions you may want to ask yourself in order to see if you're really happy being an entrepreneur.

I attended a seminar recently that was hosted by five very relevant panelist. Three were full-fledged entrepreneurs and two were highly involved liasons between the corporate and small business worlds -Harriet Michel, President of National Minority Supplier Development Council, Constance Mitchell Ford, Economic Analyst, Dow Jones, Richard Willard, Founder Rules 7 Media, Advertising and Media Production Company, Colleen Molter, Owner QED National, IT Staffing Firm, and Lowell Hawthorne, President, Golden Crust Bakery and Franchise.

What these luminaries made plain and clear is that, if you don't have the passion, vision and organization behind your business idea, you will not succeed. Being in tune with what type of business industry you are in and why you want to be in that business is the first step to creating your small empire. Current trends lend to an increase in small businesses that provide products or services geared towards particular niche markets. Ms. Michel states, "The largest growing segment today is women and minority owned businesses." But just because the market is growing doesn't mean that you should be an entrepreneur. "If you don't want to work long hours


and get knocked around by the big boys, then don't start your own small business," Willard warns. If you have started a business and start to feel that same sinking feeling as you felt towards your 'corporate' or 9-5 job, then you may want to reconsider your business choice.

Answer these questions to see if you are building a gold mind or wasting your time.

Do you have clients?
Are you making money from sale of your products or services?
Do you have a business plan or written company goal?
Is your business industry in a growth or stagnant pattern?
Are you competitive wtih other companies with similar products or services?
Do you have access to key industry information?
Are you surrounded by associates, colleagues and others whom you can help and whom may help you move forward in your business?
Are you prepared for client meetings and presentations?
Do you market yourself, your business and services, consistently?