I was listening to Jeff Pulver talking in a Mixergy interview. He’s been around for a long time in lots of different capacities. He’s made (and lost) many millions of dollars. He’s currently behind the 140 Conference.

While Pulver seems a little crazy, he’s got some valuable, interesting, and important things to say, and his interview is worth playing in the background while you shower or something.

At one point in the interview, Pulver is talking about what it takes to be an entrepreneur. His comments struck me as relevant to determining whether someone should strike out on his or her own in our field as well.

I think the Pulver comments can be distilled down to a one-question litmus test for whether you should start your own practice.

Now, before the calls and e-mails bitching at me get started—let me say that I’m not saying that answering this question in the negative means you’ll fail at practicing on your own. However, I am suggesting that you won’t build much of a business. You might be better off doing something else. This is the test for whether you’re going to be pretty darn successful. It’s not the test of whether you can eke out an existence.

What’s the question? Here you go.

“Does it hurt you, upset you, really bother you—when someone suggests that you should get a job?”

If the answer is “no,” then maybe that’s what you should do. Of course, if you need to practice on your own while you hunt for a job, go for it. Just don’t expect that to be your final destination.

If the answer is “yes” (and if it is, you knew it in an instant, right?), then you’re well suited to do your own thing. Things may not always work out for you, but you’ll know you’re where you need to be.

Maybe you disagree with me. I can accept that. I’m probably as crazy as Pulver.

But, for me and for lots of other folks who have started their own practices, the idea of getting a job is as foreign as the idea of eating a live rat. We could do it if we had to, but the thought of it makes us sick.