Having an entrepreneurial spirit doesn’t automatically mean you have the knowledge, resources, or confidence to pursue your dream of business ownership. Fortunately, there are nearly an endless amount of resources available to those wanting to start their own business. There is so much information available—it may seem overwhelming at first until you narrow down the resources that you find the most helpful. Here is some advice for entrepreneurs to get you started on the road to your future business empire.

1. Decide on the type of business you want to start

While there are many different types of business, the three main types are online, brick-and-mortar, or a service business, which can be a combination of either. Service businesses are often run remotely depending on the types of services being offered. Many successful entrepreneurs have created brands that go beyond the traditional business models.

When thinking about your business, think about what you see as a successful startup. Do you want to run a small business, or do you want something you can scale into something global? Do you want to work with a business partner, or do you want to do this on your own?

2. Research your business idea

Even if you think your business idea is a winner, you need to make sure there is a market for your product or service, and you need to know what your competition is out there. One of your strengths with your new venture is showing you did the research necessary to own your own company and grow a successful business. It would help if you researched your idea, competition start-up costs, potential laws or regulations that may impact your business idea, whether you are better off as an online business or a brick-and-mortar business.

Does your idea need a patent or trademark? You want to know everything there is to know about the industry and potential business that you feel like you have years of experience with despite not even starting yet. There are no excuses for lack of information because everything you need to research is readily available.

3. Create a business plan

Creating a business plan is critical to any business’s success because it provides a blueprint for your intended business. It will cover everything from your idea and dreams to potential vendors and contractors and your plans for financing. A business plan is required if you plan to get investors. There are venture capitalists that look for aspiring entrepreneurs with great ideas to invest in. The key to attracting big investors is by being overly prepared.

Especially as a new or young entrepreneur, you need to show possible investors right away that you’ve done your research, and you are ready to run with your idea. You need to prove you are worth the investment, and you have the willingness for the hard work to build a successful company and make sure they get their investment back and more.

4. Find Mentors

Find other entrepreneurs that you can look up to and follow to learn from their experience. Sam Ramey is an entrepreneur and lifestyle enthusiast who works to help and inspire others while pursuing his dreams. His website and socials are a go-to place for insight and information from one entrepreneur to another. Samuel Ramey is an everyday guy to who you may relate.

Other great entrepreneurs who inspire and educate other entrepreneurs include Elon Musk, Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Don Giovanni, and Jeff Bezos. Serial entrepreneurs who are successful founders will be the best ones to follow because their success can be attributed to what they’ve learned about business instead of having one good idea that took off.

5. Be prepared for the common problems you may face

If you are running a brick-and-mortar business, you will need to be prepared to deal with common building problems that may occur. It would help if you created a maintenance checklist for your building to help you stay on top of what needs to be done, so you don’t miss anything important.

For example, you can’t afford to miss spring HVAC maintenance. This can lead to you not being aware of a problem and then finding out your air conditioning doesn’t work when it is steaming how outside, and you are forced to close your business for an emergency maintenance visit.

6. Get an overview of marketing strategies

While you can hire people and services to help you with your company’s marketing, you need to know the types of marketing that will work best, given your business type and target customers. Knowing your customers is critical to know the best ways to get their attention.

Regardless of the approach you choose, social media will be an important part of your marketing strategy. Your investors are going to want a detailed marketing plan. They will also want to see your product-market fit analysis to make sure there is actually a market for your idea.

7. Learn when to outsource

As an entrepreneur, you may be tempted to do everything yourself because you know exactly what you want and want it done your way. However, it would help if you remembered that you are the mastermind behind your business, and your time, energy, and resources need to be focused on the most important tasks.

It would help if you also were honest about your limitations. If there are tasks that you are not an expert at or you don’t have time for, you need to outsource those to other professionals that will maintain your expectations for quality while allowing you to focus on other more pressing tasks. Entrepreneurial success doesn’t just happen.

People like Steve Jobs and Jeff Bezos became successful because they could focus on their strengths and outsource their weaknesses. They weren’t afraid of hard work, and they had the willingness to do what needed to be done regardless of the sleepless nights.