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of intestinal fortitude for this.

4. Are You Willing to Write a Business Plan?

What type of business are you going to establish? Where will you find customers? How much will you charge for your goods or services? How much revenue do you expect to make in the first six months, year, five years? When will you bill for services up front, when the project is done, etc.? A business plan will help you ask and answer these and many other questions.

It doesn't have to be fancy, and you don't even have to ever show it to anyone unless you are going to seek financing. Just going through the exercise of putting it all down on paper will help you understand where you are headed and if there are roadblocks or "issues" you need to deal with. It will also give you goals to aim for, an important tool for motivation as well as keeping the cash flow going.

NOT writing a business plan is the most common mistake small businesses make. It doesn't have to be elegant, award-winning stuff, just a basic plan of attack. You can find sample business plans, among many other useful resources and information at the Small Business Administration.

5. Do You Really Need Partners?

There are many examples of partnerships that have engendered successful businesses. Mr. Hewlett and Mr. Packard come to mind. It's great to have someone to lean on someone to take care of the business side while you concentrate on the creative or technical side. Having a partner can be very comforting and make the whole notion of running a business a lot less frightening.

(You knew the next sentence starts with "But," right?) But partnerships aren't right for everyone. A partner can cramp your style, delay important decisions, and get in your way. Just because you are friends with someone doesn't mean that you should go into business with them. And if you are planning to have your spouse as your partner, are you sure your relationship can handle the load? On the plus side, a partner may help you pool resources, speed up sales or services (two are better than one), and be a sounding board during the fits and starts you may encounter.

In my first business, I had partners. In my current business, it's just little old me. I like it much better this way, but your results may vary.

6. Get an Accountant

This isn't even up for discussion. There is no question that you will need an accountant. And, not just any accountant will do your friend who likes to do people's tax returns, or a corporate accountant won't cut it. You need to sit

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