Do you dream of someday owning your own business? Chances are it has at least crossed your mind at some point. America’s economy was built on small businesses, with the warm personalized touch of Mom and Pop stores that today’s mega-chain stores simply can’t provide. The entrepreneurial heart of our ancestors still beats within most of us today who are tired of working hard to make someone else wealthy.

Starting and running a small business of your own is not easy, but it’s not the hard work making you want to leave the rat race. You’re not afraid of working hard; you just want to see more results of your hard work showing up in your bank account instead of someone else’s.

Unfortunately, the reality is most small businesses will fold within their first five years of business, with an overwhelming majority not making it through the first year. Should you give up your dream of becoming a business owner? Absolutely not! You just need to better equip yourself to be successful. Become educated about what it really takes to start and run a small business and be better prepared than your competition.

Don’t Rush In

Too many eager would-be business owners rush into it without enough preparation. They don’t research their market or find out if there’s even a demand for the business they have in mind. How much competition exists for the business you have in mind? Some competition is good, but if there’s too much, you may be in for a difficult time trying to establish another business in an already overcrowded market.

At the other end of the spectrum, if there are no businesses similar to the one you have in mind, you need to find out why. Is there any demand for that sort of business? Have others tried and failed due to lack of customer interest? For example, there’s a small island off the coast of southern Texas that hosts a large community of retirees, mostly from Northern states.

Someone came to the island, looked around and discovered there were no Chinese restaurants on the island and decided to open one. This hopeful business owner didn’t do enough research first, and is discovering firsthand the reason there isn’t much demand for Chinese food on the island. Even the increased traffic during the summer months of the tourist season is not enough to sustain the business throughout the fall and winter months. Without local support, this small business is facing a dubious future.

Be Prepared

Another major mistake made by small business owners is not preparing a complete business plan. Without a clear picture of where you want your business to go and the measures you plan to take to get it there, you’re setting yourself up for dismal results.

You need to know how much it will cost to get your business started and how long it will take to recover your initial investment. You should have a plan in place outlining the methods you’ll use to generate traffic to your business and how much money your traffic needs to spend in order to meet or exceed your monthly expenditures so your business shows a profit.

Starting a small business is not easy, but if it’s approached in the right way, can be one of the most rewarding endeavors you’ll ever undertake.