Hot Tip -- by Christina Marriott

So you want your business card to read "president?" Does running your own business excite you? Chances are if you're interested in the idea of being self-employed you've worked as an employee. So why would anyone want to give up his or her job to be self-employed? The reasons are numerous, but the big push is motivation; that thing that sparks you to do what you want in life and what drives people to reach their goals.

Check out the following list of what motivates most people to start their own business, and see if self-employment is the path for you.

• You seek the challenge of starting and nurturing a business from scratch
• You want the freedom to work in your own way
• You want to recapture the feeling of working at something close to your heart
• You prefer to reap all the profits from your work
• You seek variety and a sense of adventure
• You want to have more control over your career and life
• You want to make better use of your skills and knowledge
• You would get more of a sense of accomplishment from running a business

You may be thinking, what about money? How come the idea of making lots of the green stuff isn't on the list? For most successful business people, money is not the prime motivation; rather they seek personal fulfilment. Money may be important to them, but only as a way to enhance their business and their lives, not to gain wealth and prestige. Anyone going into business for the money alone may be in for a bumpy ride. Are you prepared to work longer hours and receive less pay than you did as an employee? It takes great dedication to get a new business up and running.

There's more to consider before you commit your energy, resources and time into a business. Think about these questions: What are your goals in starting a business? Is it freedom, opportunity, profit, or to exercise your creativity? After that, establish what your life goals are. Look at your ideal life 10 years down the road and describe situations such as work, family, relationships, leisure and home life. Does running your own business fit in with your life-goals?

Like a game of chess, success in self-employment starts with decisive and correct opening moves. To increase your chance for success, grab onto what motivates you and you'll come out a winner.

(Christina Marriott is a career counsellor at the Calgary Youth Employment Centre.)