Making the decision to start your own business is a major commitment, with huge implications for skills and lifestyle. Yet there is no standardized testing or certification required or available anywhere to help you decide if you are a good fit for entrepreneurship, or founding a business is right for you. An MBA or other academic credentials just don't do it.
Therefore, the least you can do is take advantage of some of the self-assessment tools and guides around, like the classic book "The Entrepreneur Equation," by Carol Roth, which highlights personal characteristics and skills required. Someday, I expect there will be a more formal certification required, like lawyers and accountants have to pass, to hang out their shingle.
Until that happens, I recommend that you consider the following ten mindset checks from Carol and others on your business aspirations, before you step in so deep that it's hard to back out:
Please don't take these steps as being too negative, but do remember that the risks are high. Statistics say that the failure rate for new businesses within the first 5 years is as high as 90 percent. That should indicate that a lot of entrepreneurs get more than they bargained for. Think twice before you invest your precious time, money, and energy, and then go for it!