If you chose answer (c) you may have what it takes to start your own business according to Canada Business, a Government of Canada website. 

While researching our book Dream Careers, we found that the hottest businesses right now include providing personal services (e.g. party planning, personal shopping, professional organizing, personal concierge services) or starting a retail business (e.g. boutique, bookstore, coffee house, secondhand store). 

If you are dreaming of starting your own business, you are in good company. An opinion poll released by E-Myth Worldwide, a California-based company that provides education and coaching for entrepreneurs, found that 7.8% of employed and unemployed adults 18 years of age and older plan to start their own business within the next year. 

Other major findings of the poll include:

• The most popular reasons people gave for wanting to start a business are: to make more money (30%), be their own boss (18%), and fulfill a dream or hobby (15%). 

• The desire to start a new business spans all age groups and income levels, but is significantly higher for people age 45-54, who are getting serious about their retirement plans.

• While the statistics show that more men than women hope to start their own business, 45% of currently unemployed women see starting their own business as a way to achieve financial independence.

• By a margin of 50% to 34%, men are more confident of their potential business success than women.

• The biggest challenges people said they face in starting a business are lack of knowledge and confidence (44%), raising money (44%), and the economic and competitive climates (39%).

According to William Schlegel, CEO of E-Myth Worldwide, "Some factors influencing the likelihood of success, such as the state of the economy, are beyond an individual's control."

"However, the good news is that the knowledge entrepreneurs need to be successful can be quickly gained by learning the skills essential to the success of small businesses. Increased knowledge builds confidence and greater confidence enhances the chances for success."

The Canada Business website offers a free Online Small Business Workshop. The site also includes a fun quiz called the Entrepreneurial Evaluation to help you test whether starting a business is right for you. One of the questions is:

Why would you want to start your own business?

(a)  I want to make lots of money

(b)  I hate working for other people

(c)  To gain a sense of accomplishment

(d)  I have no skills and no one will hire me

(e)  Don't know

The survey says the correct answer is (c), however, we think almost any reason you want to start a business is a good one if it motivates you to take action to make it happen. In fact, starting your own business is one solution if there's a job you want to do but you can't find a company to hire you to do that job on a full-time basis. 

If your dream career involves starting your own business, why not spend some of your spare time learning more about how to get started.

Tag and Catherine Goulet are authors of Dream Careers and founders of FabJob Inc. Visit www.FabJob.com to discover how to break into the career of your dreams.