Are you ready to be an entrepreneur?

Starting a business isn't easy.

It requires bootstrapping, long hours and lots of risk.

It definitely isn't for the weak or trepid, so before plunging into that next big business venture, you need to seriously consider whether you have what it takes to be called an entrepreneur, say experts.

"Entrepreneurship is really a lifestyle," explains Thomas Shinick, a professor of entrepreneurship and small business at Adelphi University in Garden City and president of Corporate Development Partners, a Merrick business advisory firm. "It's a major commitment."

Too many entrepreneurs don't recognize that going in and very often end up failing.

"Most businesses go out of business within the first three to five years," says Shinick. "The reason for that is they're not prepared to be entrepreneurs."

Having a good idea isn't enough for you to survive.

"You have to look at your emotional, financial and mental fitness," explains Gloria Glowacki, associate director at the Small Business Development Center at Stony Brook University, which can assist individuals at no cost in assessing whether they're ready to be entrepreneurs.

Other free resources include the Service Corps of Retired Executives and the Small Business Administration's Small Business Readiness Assessment Tool.  Click here to find it on the SBA website.

According to the SBA, some self-assessment questions to ask include:

1. Do you have support from family and friends?

2. Do you consider yourself a leader and self-starter?

3. Do you have enough confidence in yourself and your abilities to sustain yourself in business, if or when things get tough?

4. Do you like to make your own decisions?

You may not have all the answers, but to get a better idea you might consider starting a business part time before leaving your day job, says Glowacki.

"You don't quit the full-time job until you don't have time to do the full-time job anymore," recommends Glowacki.

You may also consider taking a course in entrepreneurship to educate yourself on the realities of running a business, adds Shinick. In addition, it pays to talk to other entrepreneurs to get a sense of what their life is life like, he recommends.

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur, says Lawrence Gelburd, a Philadelphia-based management consultant and a lecturer on entrepreneurship at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

"The most successful entrepreneurs are those able to balance analysis and action," he notes. That requires an individual who can not only come up with the ideas, but is able to do the nitty-gritty tasks like networking, cold calling, etc., he notes.

Matt Ackerson understands this all too well in filling these multiple roles at his own 9-month-old company, Petovera.

The Islip Web design firm is actually his fourth business if you count the three he started in college.

"College was a safe haven for experimenting with different ideas," explains Ackerson, 23, noting his other entrepreneurial endeavors were more of a "learning experience."

Ackerson now is completely focused on Petovera, devoting 60 to 70 hours a week to the business and prepping to launch the company's first product next month -- a social media marketing tool called Saber Blast.

"If you want an easy life, you should go get a job," quips Ackerson, who wouldn't trade the entrepreneurial life for a 9-to-5 job. "I really like the challenge and thought of adventure and being able to create something."

It's this kind of passion that will help you get through the lean times, particularly in the beginning when finances are tight, say experts.

Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs underestimate the amount of financing they'll need to survive, says Gelburd, who recommends having at least six months' worth of living expenses on top of your overall business investment.

"They have to have enough capital so they don't spend all their time worrying about going broke," he notes.