There is a reason why every company has three things that define them; we are talking about the vision, mission and core values of a company. These three things are essential for giving direction to your startup, determining these early on is fundamental to how you will choose to develop and grow as a small business. The New York Post quotes Stephen R. Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, by posting “Begin with the end in mind.” Their article Creating a New Mission Statement can help give you ideas on how and why to define a mission statement.

Have A Plan

It is necessary to have a timetable, checkpoints that will help you to accomplish the steps required before your business can officially be launched. This includes making contacts, hiring, purchasing stock or equipment. In the preliminary phases, much of this work will be to investigate. This too needs to be allotted time so that you are sure that each task, big or small, gets done progressively.

Get Others Involved

Find people who are passionate about what you are passionate about and involve them in the process of bringing your project to life; you may already know someone who is interested in becoming your partner, consultant or volunteer, for that matter. What’s important is allowing others into the process because most of the time, our energy feeds off of others. Brainstorming with people who are good at what you want to do is a great way to learn. Most people love to talk about themselves and are more than happy to share their wins with anyone willing to listen.

Get Your Head Out of the Clouds

Enough day-dreaming and planning, how are you going to get this done financially? That’s a great question. Many people stop here and feel paralyzed as to what to do next. Fear not, we have all heard it said: “Where there is a will there is a way.” This is to say, don’t focus on the money you don’t have, focus on what you do have. Or if that doesn’t work, what you can have. Some ideas for generating income are, providing a service, finding investors, getting a personal or small business loan; consider getting a partner who can help financially and also provide either, experience, contacts, or visibility to your company.

Stay Motivated

The killer of all dreams: laziness. Staying motivated is primary when it comes to planning and pursuing something as complex as starting a business. Yes, we would all rather watch Netflix, scroll the Facebook feed, or just lie on the coach, but you have to know this: Starting a business is one of the most challenging things you will ever do. It’s right up there with keeping your New Year’s resolutions. So, do what you can to stay motivated, read books on the topics that will further you in your business plans, actively seek information about other successful small businesses, learn what they are doing and see what you can apply for yourself. Don’t drop the ball after all the excellent planning you’ve done, now is time to show your discipline.

Keeping these key things in mind will get you off to the right start, take the time to know what you want to accomplish, make a detailed plan, share your plan with others who will help you execute it, find the capital you need and most importantly, stay motivated. Working for yourself is a privilege but also a huge test of character when it comes to doing work when no one is watching. Be diligent and consistent until you reach your goal and then, by all means, bask in the glow of your success.