Starting a small business is the dream of many people. However, to make that dream a reality, it's important to understand what it takes to make it happen. There is a lot more to it than you may think, but it's not so difficult that it can't be done.

You need to be truthful with yourself when thinking about starting a business. Are you able to motivate yourself if you don't have a boss to answer to? Are you willing to work more hours than you ever did at a job? How will you come up with the money to get started? How much will you need? What type of business will you start? Why? Do enough people need what you're offering to keep you profitable? And these are only a few of the questions you must answer.

Those may be tough questions, but answering them is worth it because it means you are on your way to fulfilling your entrepreneurial dream. But why go through the hassle? The truth is that most people never will. They will run back to the comfort of the known--their job--as soon as they encounter anything that even remotely resembles an obstacle.

Don't get me wrong, there are real obstacles, and real risk, but how you handle them will determine how successful you are. Small business owners aren't special in that they get lucky or that nothing bad ever affects their business. They are special because of the way think and approach the problems when they do come up.

Starting a small business takes planning. You will need to have a fairly in-depth plan, but it doesn't need to be perfect. The best you can do is make a plan based on your present knowledge of the business you would like to start. But what you know now may be quite different from the way things really are. For that reason, it's okay to change some parts of your plan. However, you shouldn't make changes lightly, and you should always have a good reason for doing so.

There are a lot of rewards that go along with having a small business. You will be your own boss, so you get to decide what you do, when you do it, and how it will be done. You will be able as much money as the market says you're business is worth; no need to beg your boss for a raise. You set your own schedule, so if you want to get up at 11:00 in the morning or take a week off, then go for it! Those rewards are very real, but...

You have to get to the point of running a successful small business first. You also need to be sure your business is functioning well if you want to get up late or take a few days off. But it can be done! It's going to take some effort to get to that point, but it will be more than worth it when you make your dream a reality.