Now that you have had an opportunity to access the first five qualities needed to start a business, you are now ready to review the next five. Sixth, creative thinker. In order to start your own business you need to think, as they say, 'out of the box'. You need to see (envision) what others don't. Now, this doesn't mean you need to be able to draw a straight line -- this has never been one of my talents. What it means is that you have the ability to view the world in 'rose-colored glasses' and see something others haven't seen. A niche that you can fill with your business. Seventh, thick-skinned. Can you make decisions? Can you make decisions under pressure? Are you able to put your emotions aside, dig deep, and make a decision based on what is right to move your business forward? That's what it takes to start your own business. The business is not YOU. It requires decisions that are not made out of emotion but from a position of strength for what is in the best interest of the business. Eighth, public speaking. Yes, starting your own business means you need to do some public speaking. You will be the PR firm, the promoter, the marketer and the one-and-only one singing the praises of this company before most have ever heard of it. Can you do it? Can you put yourself on the line and be visible? It means promoting day and night this business idea that will change the world. If you can't do it - don't start a business. Ninth, motivator. You need to be able to motivate your followers. Whether they are employees, vendors or customers, as CEO you must be able to motivate people to follow you. Leaders need followers and as a business owner/CEO you need to be a leader. Tenth, delegator. This may be the hardest quality for most entrepreneurs. Starting a business is easy compared to getting people to follow you and then delegating work to those in your employ. You must be able to ask others to work for you and the business. The business is not YOU and YOU are not the business. You need others to care about the business as you do and be willing to do whatever it takes to make it successful - even though they are on salary and won't necessarily benefit completely by its earth-shattering success. Yes, these are the 10 qualities necessary for starting your own business and you better be able to bring them to the table if you want to succeed.  But honestly, none of them matter if you aren't willing to risk feeling isolated and exhausted because it is lonely at the top and for the next five years you'll be working around the clock if you want to be successful at starting your own business. Good luck. You can do it if you've got what it takes.

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