Liz Bayer is one of those entrepreneurs. She spent decades in retail management positions for companies like Williams-Sonoma and Bath & Body Works, but eventually grew disenchanted with corporate America。

　　拜尔(Liz Bayer)就是这些企业家中的一员。她在Williams-Sonoma和Bath & Body Works这样的公司里从事了几十年的零售管理工作，但她最终还是放弃了对美国大企业的迷恋。

　　'I felt that the companies I worked for weren't invested in growing the company and nurturing the individual,' says Ms. Bayer, now a broker with ProMortgage in San Rafael, Calif. 'I had always been interested in the housing market, and knew I had the self-discipline to work for myself, but I was concerned with the amount of self-promotion that was required.'

　　拜尔说，我认为我工作的这些公司并没有在企业增长和个人发展上面投资。我一直对住房市场感兴趣，也知道我有为自己工作的自律性，但我担心的是宣传自己所需要的金钱。她目前是加州按揭贷款服务公司ProMortgage的经纪人。

　　A Special Mindset

　　特殊的心态

　　Ms. Bayer's reservations are quite common -- not everyone is cut out to be self-employed. It can take a special sort of mindset. 'When you have your own business, no one is giving you direction, and circumstances are always changing,' says Pamela Slim, author of 'Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur.' 'Entrepreneurs are wired to be comfortable with open-endedness and ambiguity.'

　　拜尔的有所保留非常普遍，并不是所有人都有为自己打工的勇气。做到这点需要有一种特殊的心态。《逃离格子间──从企业囚徒到发展壮大的企业家》(Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur)一书的作者斯利姆(Pamela Slim)说，当你拥有自己的企业时，没有人给你指导，环境也在不断变化。企业家要善于面对不确定和不明朗的局面。

　　Self-employed professionals also are known for being optimistic, competitive, creative and organized. They tend to have a head for business, understand what their customers want and act with integrity. And if they're passionate about their venture, they work as many hours as it takes to get results。

　　自雇人士还要具有乐观、富有竞争力和创造力、条理清晰的特点。他们有领导企业的头脑、了解客户的需求、办事公平正直。如果他们对企业充满激情，为了结果他们会加班加点地工作。

　　If you're tired of leaving your career success in the hands of others and think striking out on your own is a better option, there are steps you can take to ensure that self-employment is a good fit before going too far down the entrepreneurial road。

　　如果你厌倦了将自己的职业成功寄托于别人之手，认为走自己的路是更好的选择，你可以先采取一些尝试性步骤，以免发现自己不适于创业时已经走得太远。

　　Start with an online self-assessment or consider consulting with Score, a nonprofit association that provides free and confidential advice to small businesses. Meanwhile, pay attention to the conditions that make you happiest at work。

　　不妨从网上自我测评开始，或是考虑向Score寻求建议，后者是一家向小企业提供免费和保密建议的非盈利组织。与此同时，关注工作中让你最开心的情况。