Have you ever wished that you could turn your hobby into a job or a great idea into something that could make you a lot of money? If that sounds like you, it may be possible to turn an idea into a profitable and thriving business. How would you go about doing this?

Is Anyone Else Already Doing What You Want to Do?

While you may think that you have a rare idea that no one has thought of before, it may not be as rare or unique as you think. Make sure that you do market research to determine who your competition may be. If somebody already is offering what you want to offer, look at what they are doing and how they are doing it. Could you offer your product at a lower price, offer a higher quality product or market it to households instead of just businesses?

Who Is Your Target Market?

Who are you going to sell your product or service to? Determining your target market will also help you determine how your product or service is designed, marketed and sold. For example, if you wanted to provide a tutoring service for at-risk youths, you may decide to reach out to schools or nonprofit groups to become your customers or to help with fundraising.

How Will You Fund the Business?

No business is going to be able to survive without funding. Figure out as soon as possible how much money you will need and how to get it. Possible sources of initial funding include your retirement savings, loans from friends or family members or personal lines of credit that will be used to fund the business. It is also a good idea to know early on where you can go if you need to raise more money in the future.

Determine Your Business Structure and Get All Necessary Permits

If you are running a small business on your own, it may be a good idea to operate as a sole proprietor. Those who are running a business that wants to attract shareholding funding, is profitable or has a number of employees may want to operate as a corporation. You can talk to an accountant or a lawyer to determine the best business structure for your company as well as which permits you may need to operate legally in your city or state.

Turning a great idea into a profitable idea is a long process that needs to be completed before your business opens. You need to make sure that you will have enough customers, have enough funding and have done enough research to ensure that your company will be a success.