Q & A Are you really ready to be an entrepreneur? The answer lies within.

If you're sitting at your desk, working very hard for your boss, you might be asking yourself: Am I ready to opt out of the rat race and dive into my own business? Lisa A. Mainiero, co-author with Sherry E. Sullivan of The Opt-Out Revolt: Why People Are Leaving Companies to Create Kaleidoscope Careers, points to three questions you should ask yourself before taking the entrepreneurship leap.

1. Are you ready for bigger challenges than corporate life can offer you? If you're bored at your current job and the prospects for promotion seem bleak, maybe it's time. "You have to evaluate your set point," says Mainiero. "How much will you take? How much of your life and your soul are you going to give away to this corporation?"