ST. CROIX INSIGHTS

Photo by Brooke Lark

I recently visited a successful doctor who owns her own dental practice. She’s married and has kids, and she has a host of employees who help keep her office running smoothly. As we were discussing her fees and insurance reimbursements (she was giving me a choice between replacing a filling or getting a crown), I asked her a simple question: “Which side of the check do you want to sign?”

She laughed and said, “I wish someone would have had that conversation with me years ago.”

Most people never give this a second thought, since most of us are employees: we are used to signing the back side of our checks, and we enjoy having the money appear in our account every other week with regularity. But if you own a business, you have to sign the front of the check and take on a heightened level of financial responsibility.

To be a business owner, you already have to be little off. Sure, it’s great to be your own boss, but owning a business isn’t easy:

• It’s hard work.
• You don’t always get paid.
• The time commitment is massive.
• It’s a big financial risk.

Not everyone is cut out to be a business owner.

There’s just no guarantee that you’ll be able to generate the necessary revenue to pay back the debt you’ve taken out, and that doesn’t sit well with everyone.

Personally, I’d rather just sign the back of the check and have the cash—but that’s just me. Not everyone is cut out to be a business owner like my doctor friend. Which type of person are you?

Before making the decision to own your own business, take a good, hard look at your own strengths, weaknesses, and comfort level when it comes to debt and risk. Then ask yourself: Which side of the check do I really want to sign?

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