Have you ever seen an business opportunity infomercial? I saw one last night that was a classic. The product was set against a backdrop of cascading dollar bills (literally money flowing over the equipment). The voice over said something like "want to work less and get rich? - call now!". In essence they were saying that if you bought their machine you could stop working for a living and easily get rich.

You're likely not surprised to learn that it doesn't work that way. At first, starting your own business involves more work not less, money paid out rather than taken in and a steep learning curve. In return you can look forward to earning every dime to which you are entitled, being able to direct your destiny and never having to worry about "the boss".

I have an expression (at least I think that it's mine) that goes "Most people want to be successful, few are willing to be successful". If you want to work hard and sacrifice to get what you want - if you're willing to be successful - the following will put you on the path to owning your own business.

A successful small business is built at the convergence of a market need and an ability to meet that need. In other words, you need to find something that you do well (and hopefully enjoy doing) that others are willing to buy. Two simple steps to do that, the first:

1. Identify a product or service that you can produce. You may have a business in mind. If so, skip this step. If not, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do your present job skills lend themselves to "side work". If yes, you can start by developing a business "on the side" while still collecting a regular paycheck. If not;

2. Can your present line of work (or one that you want to be in) be produced by a small business? If not;

3. Do you have capital to invest? If yes, you can look for a franchise to purchase. Franchisors are in the business of starting and guiding small businesses. Entrepreneur Magazine publishes an annual list of the "Top 500" franchisors, it is available online: dave@fundableplans.com