It's time to drop the rose-colored glasses and face the facts: most new businesses fail, with often devastating consequences for the would-be entrepreneur. The Entrepreneur Equation helps you do the math before you set down the entrepreneurial path so that you can answer more than just "Could I be an entrepreneur?" but rather "Should I be an entrepreneur?". By understanding what it takes to build a valuable business as well as how to assess the risks and rewards of business ownership based on your personal circumstances, you can learn how to stack the odds of success in your favor and ultimately decide if business ownership is the best possible path for you, now or ever. Through illustrative examples and personalized exercises, tell-it-like-it-is Carol Roth helps you create and evaluate your own personal Entrepreneur Equation as you: Learn what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur in today's competitive environment. Save money, time and effort by avoiding business ownership when the time isn't right for you. Identify and evaluate the risks and rewards of a new business based on your goals and circumstances. Evaluate whether your dreams are best served by a hobby, job or business. Gain the tools that you need to maximize your business success. The Entrepreneur Equation is essential reading for the aspiring entrepreneur. Before you invest your life savings, invest in this book!

Carol Roth helps businesses grow and make more money. An investment banker, deal maker and business strategist, she has helped her clients, ranging from solopreneurs to multinational corporations, raise more than $1 billion in capital, complete hundreds of millions of dollars in M&A transactions, secure high-profile licensing and partnership deals, create brand enthusiast programs and more.

Roth is a frequent radio, television and print media contributor on the topics of business and entrepreneurship, having appeared on Fox News, MSNBC, Fox Business, WGN TV Chicago and more. Her Unsolicited Business Advice blog at CarolRoth.com was recently named as one of the Top 10 small business blogs online.

Roth holds a B.S. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude. She resides in the Chicagoland area with her husband Kurt, who is also an investment banker (and her former business partner). They have no children, pets or plants and are avid sports fans (particularly of NFL football). Roth is also a recovering toy collector, recently trading in a portion of her collection for a more sophisticated toy (a "Simpsons" pinball machine).