In all fairness to the op, some people see things differently than others. Risk assessment and things of the sort are often put on the backburner when someone has an idea they feel confident in. When I started my first business, I was 17. I was talked to over and over by my parents and advisors to the risk of starting a business. Although I knew in the back of my mind of the risks, I knew 100% without a doubt I would be successful. Over the years I have met with hundreds if not thousands of people who have started their own business and I am talking about multi million dollar small companies as well as large. And in doing so our conversations have at times led us to how in fact they started out. I will be damned if the vast majority of them have all started the same way. They had an idea, knew they would be successful and although were aware of the risks, they pushed forward and threw caution to the wind. At the cost of not listening to people who didnt see what they saw and repeatedly preached the "but what about" over and over. I say this because I dont want the Op to see the downsides of business start up and get the illusion its impossible. Just because others view owning a business or starting one up as an overwhelming if not impossible task, others may not. And thats the difference between someone who owns a business vs someone who works for a business. Taking the experience I have learned over the years, I can think of business after business(in the service industry mind you) I could start overnight and by morning have customers. Impossible some people say but I just see it differently then others. I am not going to sit here and think what you want to do will be easy or a walk in the park but its not above the realm of possibility. With any large scale investment you need to do your research and like others have stated, its going to be difficult especially in todays market.