There are no magic tricks, easy shortcuts or quick fixes to bring about success in business. There are no guaranteed recipes to follow or formulas to apply, although there are certainly basics that you must know and use. Reputable and honest business advisors all agree on one thing - despite all the advice and knowledge you may glean from books and experts, at the end of the day, success generally comes to those who are willing to "do the hard yards" - that is, to apply what they know with understanding, persistence, common sense and guts - and when they realize there is something they cannot figure out how to do, seek advice and help from a trusted advisor.

This means working smarter rather than working harder, although long hours, stamina and much physical and mental effort will often be called for. Success also requires "working on your business", to make it better able to survive and succeed, rather than just going to work each day to work in your business.

Going into business is one of the most important and exciting decisions you'll make in your whole life, and relying solely on 'gut feeling' is not the way to approach it.

The consequences of making a wrong decision can be disastrous so the purpose of this article is simple - to help you reduce the possibility that you will make a bad decision about going into business - a decision that can have traumatic and long-term consequences for your health, wealth and family. The article will provide you with some questions that require serious thought before you make the decision to go into business on your own.

Gray & Company, PC can provide you with active knowledge and practical understanding of all the issues you'll face when going into business on your own but the first stage of preparing to go into business is a very personal one.

It concerns and involves you, your family and your closest friends and advisors. It requires a great deal of ?soul searching' and candid assessment of your abilities, strengths, weaknesses, and motivations. The results of this process may be either painful and disappointing, or rewarding and challenging. But it is a most essential part of the whole process of going into business. Before you start spending serious sums of money, or get too far into the thinking about products and customers, a business location or a business name, or doing all the other things necessary to get the business started, you must first decide if you have what it takes, and whether you are suited to owning and running a small business.