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Starting a business can be a big step in your career. How do you know if being a food truck owner is right for you? A food truck might seem simple, but it is a business and requires a lot of hard work. You may think that you want to “be your own boss”, but the choice is not that simple!

ARE YOU DETERMINED AND MOTIVATED?

Starting your own food truck business requires a massive amount of determination. As a food truck owner, it is easy to be motivated when the idea is new and exciting. When you encounter challenges, it becomes much more difficult. In a traditional career, with people above you, you simply need to follow their deadlines and meet their requirements. However, when you are your “own boss”, there is not the same pressure from above. You must stay motivated, working efficiently on your own. That determination must stay, even when times are tough. Starting a business is not easy. Your success partially depends on how much effort you put in.

CAN YOU ACCEPT FAILURE AND CRITICISM?

This may seem like a strange question. As a new food truck owner, you never want to assume that you are going to fail. You most likely want to attempt to be positive. But the reality is that starting your own business can be extremely difficult. Many results in failure. What separates a good business owner from a bad one is the ability to take failure in stride. You must be able to take these setbacks as a learning experience and improve from them. If one idea doesn’t work, how will you pivot and what direction will you go in? Owning a business is a constant learning process. There is never a time where you will stop trying to make it better.

DO YOU HAVE BUSINESS ACUMEN?

If you have read our article on marketing, then you know that marketing is by far one of the most important aspects of running your business. When you start a mobile food business you become a brand and must be able to sell that to other people. If you can not sell your product to customers, it becomes extremely difficult to maintain a successful business. Knowledge of marketing, or a propensity to learn, is essential to be successful in your new business. Each person has their own set of skill sets. If, for example, you are a talented chef but lack business knowledge, make sure you have someone on your team that compliments your skills/weaknesses who can guide you in business!

ARE YOU RISK-SEEKING?

There are two aspects to taking risks when starting a business. First, you must have the personality that is not afraid to take risks. Starting a business is a major risk. You are putting faith in something that is not guaranteed to be successful. Not only are you investing your money, but also your time; time that could be spent at another job earning money there. If things do not work out, you must be able to cope with that.

Along with the personality side, you must be financially able to take the risk. It is heavily advised to not invest every single penny you have in a business. You must be able to recover from failure if it turns to the worst-case scenario.