Self Analysis
Business Plan
One thing that an investor wants to see when reviewing a business plan is what the owner "brings to the table."" The assignment here is to write the Self Analysis section of your business plan which includes the components listed at the bottom of the page. This list also includes tips of information to reference in your writing. Before completing the writing, you should complete the pre-writing immediately following this paragraph. This will ensure that your section is well organized.
Are You an Entrepreneur?
Take the Entrepreneur Test from BizMove. The questions in this test indicate to what extent you have the personal traits that are generally considered important to an aspiring entrepreneur.
- ead each question and click on one of the suggested answers
- espond by marking the answer that most accurately describes your behavior, feeling or attitude as it actually is, not as you would like it to be, or think it should.
- Realize that it is only a test and not a correlation on whether you will be a successful businessperson or not.
- Do not let a low score discourage you from becoming an entrepreneur
- NOTE: Uou must be absolutely honest with yourself in order to get a valid score
After You Complete the Test
- In a new Word doc, Copy > Paste from "That's It... Check Your Score to the end of the Interpretation, What Traits and Characteristics Make a Successful Entrepreneur" – copy all the way through the characteristics (you can delete any ads that show up)
- Read, Highlight and Margin Note (minimum of 2) the interpretation at the bottom – focus on the key points in the reading
- Evaluate the results by answering the following questions:
- Do you feel the results from the test were accurate?
- What characteristics do most entrepreneurs have
- What characteristics do you have that would help you be a successful entrepreneur?
- Are there characteristics an entrepreneur has that could help you in other areas of life?
- Do you think you would make a good entrepreneur? Why or why not?
- Have you at any time in your life been entrepreneurial? Explain.
Pre-writing/Thinking Activity
Create an outline based on the topic sentence prompts below on a piece of scratch paper or your prefered method of brainstorming
- Introduction
- Explain why it is important to be dedicated and equipped with the skills to run your proposed business
- Answer this question: what are your qualifications and personality characteristics that demonstrate why you will succeed?
- Body – write a topic sentence or main idea for each of the following themed paragraphs in the body (see Topic Sentences from Indiana University)
- Your experience, training, and education
- Strengths and weaknesses – think of this like an interview question – turn weaknesses into strengths and focus on entrepreneurial issues
- Willingness to take risks
- Personal Development
- Conclusion
- Re–emphasize what you think is the most important qualification or characteristic that demonstrates why you will succeed
Writing the Self Analysis
Using the pre–writing as a start to each paragraph, expand on your ideas to create a cohesive, well–organized Self Analysis.
- Introduction
- Explain why it is important to be dedicated and equipped with the skills to run your proposed business
- Thesis – Explain how your qualifications and personality characteristics will ensure the success of your business
- Body
- Supporting Paragraph 1 – Add to the first topic sentence from the pre–writing by expanding on your personal business experience and training/education in the proposed field. Your resume is a good source for this. Include internships, CSB, and other related experience.
- Supporting Paragraph 2 – Add to the second topic sentence by expanding on your personal business strengths and weaknesses. Information you learned from the Entrepreneur Test and the resume may help you address this.
- Supporting Paragraph 3 – Add to your third topic sentence by expanding on your demonstrated willingness to take risks. Again, information you learned from the Entrepreneur Test may help.
- Supporting Paragraph 3 – Add to your fourth topic sentence by expanding on your brief plan for personal development in the proposed field. If you need more specific information on training in the proposed field, consider going online and looking up the specific job type.
- Conclusion
- Re–emphasize what you think is the most important qualification or characteristic that demonstrates why you will succeed
Save as "self-analysis" in your Business Plan folder
Upload to the Synergy Dropbox