Assess Your Strengths: The Entrepreneurial Self-Rating Questionnaire

Every successful entrepreneur starts with a clear understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses. But how do you actually measure something as complex as entrepreneurial ability? That’s where the Self-Rating Questionnaire (SRQ) comes in – a structured, research-backed tool designed to help aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs take stock of the competencies that drive business success. Whether you’re planning a waste management startup or any other venture, this self-assessment provides the honest mirror you need before diving in.

What is the self-rating questionnaire? 🔗

The Self-Rating Questionnaire is a self-assessment instrument comprising 70 behavioral statements. It was originally developed by researchers at McBer and Company – including Richard Mansfield, David McClelland, and Lyle Spencer – under a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The goal was to identify and assess competencies commonly found among successful entrepreneurs in developing countries.

The tool asks you to rate each statement on a 5-point scale, indicating how well that statement describes your typical behavior. The scale generally runs from “Very well” (5) to “Not at all” (1). There are no right or wrong answers. The entire point is honest self-reflection – not performing well on a test.

The questionnaire takes roughly 30 minutes to complete, and it can be administered individually or in a group setting. Its simplicity is one of its key advantages: you don’t need specialized training to take or score it.

Purpose and instructions for taking the SRQ 🔗

The primary purpose of the SRQ is to give you a data-driven snapshot of your entrepreneurial readiness. It is not a screening device or a pass-fail exam. Instead, it is designed for use in entrepreneurship training programs where participants need a starting point for personal development.

How to approach the questionnaire 🔗

When you sit down with the 70 statements, keep a few guidelines in mind. First, respond based on how you actually behave, not how you wish you behaved. Second, use the full range of the scale – if you mark “3” or “4” for every single item, the results won’t tell you much. Third, don’t overthink any single statement. Your first instinct usually provides the most accurate response.

The 70 statements are grouped into clusters, though this isn’t obvious while you’re answering them. Five statements correspond to each of the 13 entrepreneurial competencies being measured. An additional five statements form a social desirability scale, which we’ll discuss in the scoring section.

Key competencies measured by the SRQ 🔗

The SRQ evaluates 13 core Personal Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs). These were identified through research on what separates successful entrepreneurs from less successful ones, particularly in developing economies. Here’s what each competency covers:

Achievement cluster 🔗

Initiative: This measures whether you act before being asked or forced to by circumstances. Entrepreneurs with strong initiative don’t wait for opportunities – they create them.

Sees and acts on opportunities: This tracks your ability to spot business openings and act on them quickly. In waste management, for instance, this could mean recognizing that a community’s organic waste has composting potential before anyone else does.

Persistence: Building a business involves repeated setbacks. This competency measures your willingness to keep pushing through obstacles rather than giving up when things get tough.

Information seeking: Successful entrepreneurs actively gather data before making decisions. They consult experts, research markets, and investigate problems rather than relying on assumptions.

Concern for high quality of work: This measures your drive to meet or exceed existing standards. It’s the difference between launching a functional recycling service and launching one that consistently delivers clean, sorted material that buyers trust.

Commitment to work contract: This competency assesses whether you do whatever it takes to fulfill promises made to customers and partners – even when it requires personal sacrifice.

Efficiency orientation: Entrepreneurs need to find ways to do things faster, cheaper, or better. This competency measures how naturally you seek to optimize resources and processes.

Planning cluster 🔗

Systematic planning: This evaluates how well you break large goals into smaller tasks, set timelines, and monitor progress. For a waste management startup, systematic planning could involve mapping out collection routes, processing timelines, and revenue milestones.

Problem solving: This competency gauges your ability to identify new strategies when existing ones aren’t working. It includes seeking alternative solutions and being willing to change course.

Power cluster 🔗

Self-confidence: This measures your belief in your own abilities. Entrepreneurs with strong self-confidence maintain conviction even when facing opposition or early failures.

Assertiveness: This assesses whether you confront problems and people directly, set expectations clearly, and hold others accountable for their performance.

Persuasion: Building a business means convincing others – customers, investors, suppliers, partners. This competency measures how effectively you influence others to support your goals.

Use of influence strategies: This goes beyond direct persuasion. It evaluates whether you use networks, influential contacts, and strategic information sharing to achieve objectives.

Together, these 13 competencies provide a comprehensive map of entrepreneurial behavior. Research conducted by institutions studying entrepreneurial frameworks consistently confirms that self-perceived competencies play a significant role in predicting entrepreneurial intention and action.

From scoring to profile: understanding Exhibits 2A and 2B 🔗

Once you’ve completed the questionnaire, the next step is turning your raw responses into meaningful scores. This is where the scoring sheet (Exhibit 2A) and the Competency Profile Sheet come into play.

How the scoring sheet works 🔗

The scoring sheet organizes your responses by competency. Each competency score is calculated by adding the ratings for the five relevant items. However, there’s a twist: one item in each competency scale is reverse-scored. This means a high rating on that particular statement actually indicates a low level of the competency. The scoring formula accounts for this by subtracting that item’s score and adding a constant (typically 6) to keep all scores on a comparable scale.

For example, the Initiative score is calculated by adding your ratings for items 1, 15, 29, and 43, then subtracting your item 57 rating, and finally adding 6. Each competency follows a similar structure with its own specific set of items.

The correction factor 🔗

This is one of the most important – and often overlooked – elements of the SRQ. The correction factor is derived from five specific items (items 14, 28, 42, 56, and 70) that together form a social desirability scale. These items are designed to detect whether you’re presenting an overly favorable image of yourself rather than answering honestly.

Here’s how it works: you add up your scores on those five items. If the total is 19 or less, no correction is needed – your responses are considered reasonably honest. But if the total hits 20 or higher, a correction number must be subtracted from each of your 13 competency scores. As explained by the UP Institute for Small-Scale Industries, the correction values are:

Correction factor score of 24-25: subtract 7 from each competency score.
Correction factor score of 22-23: subtract 5.
Correction factor score of 20-21: subtract 3.
Correction factor score of 19 or less: subtract 0.

This mechanism exists because self-report tools are inherently vulnerable to conscious or unconscious bias. People naturally want to present themselves well. The correction factor doesn’t penalize you – it simply adjusts the results so they more accurately reflect your real behavioral tendencies.

Plotting the competency profile 🔗

After applying any necessary corrections, you transfer your adjusted scores to the Competency Profile Sheet. This is a visual tool where you mark each score on a corresponding line and then connect the dots to form a profile curve.

The profile gives you an immediate visual picture of your entrepreneurial landscape. Scores that cluster to the right (higher values) indicate strengths. Scores sitting to the left (lower values) point to areas needing development. The maximum corrected score per competency is 25, and the midpoint is 12.5. Scores above 12.5 generally indicate reasonable competence; scores below suggest room for growth.

For context, research data on mean scores among successful entrepreneurs shows that competencies like Information Seeking and Efficiency Orientation tend to score highest (around 21), while Self-Confidence often ranks surprisingly lower (around 15.5). This benchmark data can help you understand where your profile stands relative to proven entrepreneurs.

Interpreting your results 🔗

A profile sheet full of numbers is only useful if you know how to read it. Interpretation is where the SRQ transforms from a scoring exercise into a genuine development tool.

Identifying strengths 🔗

Your highest-scoring competencies represent your natural entrepreneurial advantages. These are behaviors you already practice consistently. If you score high on Persistence and Commitment to Work Contract, for example, you likely have the grit needed to push through the difficult early stages of a business. In the waste management sector, where logistics can be unpredictable and regulatory hurdles are common, these strengths are especially valuable.

Recognizing development areas 🔗

Scores below the midpoint of 12.5 signal areas where your current behavioral patterns may not support entrepreneurial success. A low score on Systematic Planning, for instance, suggests you may struggle with organizing complex operations – a critical skill when running collection schedules, managing processing facilities, or coordinating with municipal authorities.

Importantly, low scores are not permanent labels. As noted by entrepreneurship training experts, the PECs profile is dynamic, not fixed. Behavioral patterns can be deliberately changed and strengthened through training, mentoring, and practice.

Using Exhibit 2B: reflecting on your competence level 🔗

The SRQ framework includes a structured reflection exercise, often presented as Exhibit 2B or “My Thoughts about my Competence Level.” This isn’t just another scoring sheet – it’s a guided self-reflection prompt that asks you to think critically about your results.

The reflection typically asks questions such as: Which competencies did you expect to score high on? Were there any surprises? Which low-scoring areas concern you most for your specific business idea? What concrete steps could you take to strengthen a weak competency?

This step is crucial because raw scores without reflection lead to superficial understanding. A score of 14 on Persuasion doesn’t tell you why you scored that way or what specific situations trip you up. The reflection exercise pushes you to dig deeper. Perhaps you realize that you’re persuasive in one-on-one conversations but freeze during group presentations. That level of insight is far more actionable than a number on a sheet.

Why self-assessment matters for waste management entrepreneurs 🔗

Entrepreneurship in waste management presents unique challenges that make self-awareness especially important. This sector requires working with diverse stakeholders – municipal governments, informal waste collectors, recycling industries, and local communities. It demands patience with regulatory processes, creativity in turning waste streams into revenue, and resilience when infrastructure or supply chains break down.

A UNIDO practitioner guide on waste management entrepreneurship emphasizes that successful programs in this sector begin with assessing the skills and barriers facing potential entrepreneurs. Self-assessment tools like the SRQ fit naturally into this process by giving each individual a personalized starting point.

Equally important, the green economy demands competencies that aren’t always intuitive. Building a viable green business requires not just environmental passion but also efficiency orientation, systematic planning, and the ability to persuade stakeholders who may not initially see value in waste-derived products.

Limitations to keep in mind 🔗

No self-report tool is perfect. The SRQ’s developers themselves acknowledged that respondents can consciously distort their answers if motivated to do so. The correction factor helps, but it doesn’t eliminate all bias.

Additionally, self-assessment captures how you perceive your behavior, not necessarily how others perceive it. Research from the EntreComp framework notes that while self-perceived competencies may not perfectly predict actual performance, they still strongly influence entrepreneurial intention – which is itself a major predictor of action.

For a more rounded view, consider pairing the SRQ with 360-degree feedback from colleagues, mentors, or family members. Comparing how you rate yourself with how others rate you can reveal blind spots that self-assessment alone cannot catch.

Making the most of your SRQ results 🔗

Taking the questionnaire is step one. The real value comes from what you do afterward. Here are practical ways to use your results:

Create a development plan: Pick your two or three lowest-scoring competencies and set specific, measurable goals for improvement. If Information Seeking is low, commit to conducting a set number of customer interviews or market research sessions per month.

Revisit periodically: Retake the SRQ every six months to a year. Track how your profile changes over time. Growth in specific competencies can validate that your training and practice efforts are working.

Use it as a team tool: If you’re building a founding team, have all members take the SRQ. Compare profiles to ensure your team collectively covers all 13 competencies. A team where everyone scores high on Initiative but low on Systematic Planning will generate ideas but struggle to execute them.

Connect scores to your business plan: Map your competency strengths and weaknesses against the specific demands of your business. A waste recycling venture, for instance, puts heavy demands on Efficiency Orientation, Commitment to Work Contract, and Systematic Planning. If those are your weak areas, you’ll need to either develop them rapidly or bring in team members who complement your profile.

What do you think? After reflecting on the 13 entrepreneurial competencies described above, which two or three do you believe are most critical for success in the waste management sector – and how would you go about strengthening the ones you currently lack?

References

1. https://psypack.com/assessments/self-rating-questionnaire-entrepreneurial-competencies/
2. https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/files/2019-05/Waste%20Management_web%202.pdf
3. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/5/2983
4. https://beta.entrepreneurship.org.ph/2018/08/09/how-to-identify-your-personal-entrepreneurial-competencies/
5. https://www.learningfornature.org/en/courses/green-entrepreneurship-2022/