If you’re an entrepreneur who is marketing a home-based or other small business opportunity or franchise to others, making the investment of time and resources into any prospect is somewhat of a risk.  And let’s face it, your hard work doesn’t always pay off when someone you thought would be a good fit isn’t.  Now there’s a resource that you may want to check out and even recommend to your potential clients that can assist them in making the best decision possible when it comes to business ownership.

In her new book “The Entrepreneur Equation: Evaluating the Realities, Risks and Rewards of Having Your Own Business,” business strategist, author and blogger Carol Roth slaps aspiring entrepreneurs with a reality check that you don’t often see in today’s "you can do it if you just try hard enough" culture.  In his forward to the book, New York Times bestselling author Michael Port puts it this way.  “Most books on entrepreneurship are written from the perspective that anyone and everyone can do it, and it’s super simple if you just follow these three easy steps.  However, anyone who has built a remarkable business knows the truth.  There are no three easy steps…,” he writes.

The goal of Roth’s book is not so much to discourage anyone from becoming an entrepreneur.  However, it does provide individuals who think they have what it takes to make it in business today with the tools they need to make the right call.  Suffice it to say, if your prospect reads this book and still feels confident that buying and starting a home-based or other small- or medium-sized business opportunity or franchise is a good idea, then they’re more likely to make it.

Roth is an expert at raising issues and asking questions that will prompt any aspiring entrepreneur to take careful stock of whether or not the fact that they can own a business is enough.  Let’s face it, just because someone can doesn’t necessarily mean that they should. 

Driven by the concept of self-assessment, Roth’s book prompts the reader to take careful inventory of such critical issues as his/her fitness for entrepreneurship, motivation, timing and personality.  She then goes on to enlighten the reader about key factors that should also impact decision-making such as whether or not the business in question is the right fit, as well as the overall risks, issues and rewards of entrepreneurship.

Roth is also a frequent radio, television and print media contributor on the topics of business and entrepreneurship.  Her blog entitled Unsolicited Business Advice was recently named as one of the Top 10 business blogs online.  If after reading and availing themselves of her sage wisdom and advice on the subject of owning a business your prospect is still on board, you’ll be just one step closer to ensuring your gamble on them is a sound one.