Everyone’s thought of being an entrepreneur at some point or another. They’ve had an idea for a business and thought they could actually do it. What’s stopping you from taking the plunge with it? Perhaps the most notable thing holding you back is you don’t know what to do.

One of the first things you should do is go through the various factors to consider before starting a business. You could’ve already thought about some of these, but overlooked others. At the same time, you mightn’t have put enough time into actually considering them.

Three major areas are worth starting with from the get-go.

Factors to Consider Before Starting a Business: 3 Major Options

1. Funding

One of the most important factors to consider before starting a business is the funding. No matter how good of an idea you have, you can’t make this a reality without some funding. Figure out where this money is coming from. That could be your savings, but business loans and investors are also options.

You’ll also need to budget accordingly. Spend time figuring out exactly what you need to operate and how much it’ll cost. Use this to decide how much money you’ll need to start your business and fund it through the first several months and grow it.

2. Passion

While this might sound relatively obvious, you’ll need to be passionate about the business you’re starting. You’ll have to actually care about what you’re doing. There are a few reasons for this, the largest being that it motivates you to actually get things done. With how difficult starting a business is, you’ll need this motivation.

Add in the hurdles and challenges involved – especially long-term – it’s easy to feel as though it’s too much work for you. By focusing on your passion, you can make this much easier for yourself. You’ll have fewer issues actually putting in the time and effort to run your business.

3. Taxes

You’ll already know your business has to pay taxes. What you mightn’t have realized is these can be significantly affected by where you live. Federal taxes are applicable across the country, but then there are state and local taxes. If you know what taxes are like in California, you’ll know they’re different than in Texas, for example.

Make sure you research all the applicable taxes to you so you can make sure you’re compliant. Failing to do this results in significant fines, which you’ll naturally want to avoid. When you’re starting your business, register for all applicable organizations, such as the IRS.

Factors to Consider Before Starting a Business: Wrapping Up

There are multiple factors to consider before starting a business, many of which will be larger than others. They deserve a significant amount of thought and attention, especially if you want your business to succeed. You’ll have to put effort into them from the start.

Having a passion for your work, getting your funding together, and making sure you’re tax compliant are only the tip of the iceberg. They’re worth concentrating on when you’re first starting out.