Before Investing a Dime In Your Business: You Need to Answer These 12 Questions

I attended a government run workshop on Women-Owned Businesses (who will remain nameless) and was horrified  when the facilitator jumped into getting financing for your business. I raised my hand and asked, shouldn't we first dig into whether or not we should start a business? She dodged the question by assuming we were all ready to get going and take out a loan.

I've created the below questions not to scare you out of business, but to think thoughtfully about the risk and what's really needed to make your business successful. These are not targeted to any one industry and may seem general, but their purpose is to start a deeper conversation. I'd love to hear your answers and feedback in the comment section.