What is the most important thing you need to start a business? Financing? A business plan? Market research?

Not according to Lisa Hammond, founder of Femail Creations and author of the new book Dream Big: Finding the Courage to Follow Your Dreams and Laugh at Your Nightmares.

“If you go to business school, or even just take a course or read a book, you always hear that you have to start with a business plan. Well, that may be the way for some… (but for many) the business actually began as a seed, a dream, a hope, a yearning, often years before the launch of the business.”

For Hammond, the dream was a long time coming. “For more than a decade, I kept a what-do-I-want-to-be-when-I-grow-up journal, filling it with ideas about just what meaningful work would look like to me.”

So, for Hammond, the first step in starting a business is “giving yourself permission to even think about what kind of meaningful work you might want to do.”

“If you don’t yet know what your dream looks like, keep a blank book handy at all times and just jot down or paste in clips of anything and everything that inspires you.”

Step number two? Step up to the plate. “Only you can take your turn. If you have a dream, or are struggling to define your dream, go for it. No one else will do it for you.”

And, Hammond urges, don’t let fear of failure stop you before you even start.
“Living one’s dream is about continually starting, even when all reasonable evidence points to the opposite.”

It may sound selfish, but Hammond advises “putting yourself first. Notice what gets in your way and try to remove your obstacles.”

Step number 3: “When you’re convinced that you’re on the right track, don’t take no for answer.”

According to Hammond, this could involve breaking the rules, and maybe even making up a few new rules of your own.

Hammond cites the case of the honeybee, which, according to the laws of aerodynamics, shouldn’t be able to fly. But, not only does the honeybee fly, it is also one of most industrious and productive members of the insect world.

As Hammond puts it, “Do what is right for you and don’t listen to what everyone else has to say about it.”

Hammond must follow her own advice. In 2000, she was honored by the Small Business Administration as a Small Business Person of the Year. In 2003, she was named an Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners.

For more of Hammond’s advice and philosophy, check out her online column, Girl Talk, at www.femailcreations.com.

My business is making people, especially children, happy.
-Walt Disney

Disney’s simple idea of just making people happy may not sound like much of a business plan. However, it was a good enough plan to allow a young man from the Midwest to build not just an entertainment empire, but a Magic Kingdom.

When Walt Disney came up with the idea for Disneyland, his older brother Roy was set against it. Roy Disney, Walt’s pragmatic partner and financial manager, saw their primary concern as the “movie business.”

Walt Disney, the creative half of the partnership, had a broader vision. Nothing fell outside of his consideration, as long as it had entertainment value.

In fact, when Disney World opened in 1955, the Disney mission statement was summed up in three simple words: “We create happiness.”

Nearly 50 years later, that basic idea has only been expanded upon slightly. Today, the Disney mission statement reads: “We create happiness by providing the finest in entertainment for people of all ages, everywhere.”

It may seem like everything Disney ever touched turned to gold. However, the truth is actually a somewhat less enchanted story.

Disney’s first attempt at making a living drawing cartoons ended in bankruptcy in his early twenties. In 1923, he left Kansas City for California, reportedly with only $40 in his pocket.

What Disney did have in abundance, however, was dreams, talent and a keen sense of what would appeal to the public. Those attributes, plus an incredible work ethic, took him to the top of the entertainment industry.

Author Rich Hamilton has studied the life of Walt Disney for more clues to his business success. What Hamilton found could apply to anyone.

Obstacles are no obstacle

When Hamilton visited Disneyland, he was intrigued by the Haunted Mansion. The ride appeared to be much larger than the building that housed it. Upon leaving the park, Hamilton observed that the entrance to the Haunted Mansion led to a bigger structure actually located outside the park.

Disney made thinking outside the box part of the corporate culture. When he had a big ride but no where to put it, his engineers didn’t stop until they found an innovative solution.

Everyone gets the big picture

Disney strove for a total guest experience, from the first call for a reservation until the guest boarded the airplane for the trip home. To ensure that all went well, he mandated that even “backstage” cast members be trained to deal with guests. Members of the clean-up crew might be the last employee a guest encounters, and for better or for worse, leave a lasting impression.

Put it on a storyboard

Disney was a marvelous storyteller. He would sit in on story sessions and even act out scenes the way he envisioned them.

At these sessions, Disney pioneered the use of storyboards. These sequential sketches on fiber board panels allowed Disney animators to develop their stories by easily adding, changing or removing characters and scenes.

Eventually, Disney turned the storyboard process into an effective management tool. It was the technique that allowed the company to create the plans for Disney World in just ten days.

You don’t have to be an artist to use a storyboard. Index cards and post-its with words, diagrams or symbols can be used to brainstorm, organize and communicate ideas.

For nine more secrets to Disney’s success, check out Disney Magic: Business Strategy You Can Use at Work and at Home. Then start creating your own magic.

How big does an idea have to be to launch a successful new business?

According to Peter and Jennifer Sander, authors of Niche and Grow Rich: Practical Ways to Turn Your Ideas into a Business, the answer is "not very."

Take Connie Hallquist, founder of the Gold Violin. Her idea for a new business came from her inability to find a "stylish, yet practical" gift for her grandmother.

When nothing on the market suited her needs, she made her own gift by taking a plain walking stick and decorating it herself.

Today, the Gold Violin (as in “the older the violin, the sweeter the music”) has online, retail and catalog outlets selling upscale everyday products, unique gifts and services designed especially for seniors. One of the company's best sellers continues to be stylish walking canes.

The authors of Peterson's Ultimate Home Office Survival Guide have found that ideas for successful businesses range from "ordinary to weird" and "mundane to extraordinary." In fact, the authors conclude, the business idea seems to be less important than the "entrepreneur's desire to succeed."

Even small beginnings can lead to bigger things. Arnold Goldstein, author of Starting on a Shoestring: Building a Business without a Bankroll, tells of the less than grand opening of his first Discount City store in Massachusetts.

“The doors swung open to welcome swollen crowds. All that appeared was a little old lady in tennis shoes swinging an oversized pocketbook. Out she quickly marched with a deftly shoplifted $6.98 can opener safely tucked in her now heavier pocketbook.”

Still, Goldstein went on to successfully open 12 more Discount City stores in the next three years, with $6 million in sales. His initial investment was $2600 of his own cash.

The fact is, most entrepreneurs start with less than $5,000 in the bank, and some have no savings at all. Many home-based entrepreneurs are unemployed when they start their businesses.

You also don't have to be highly educated to start a successful business. Nor does age, sex or ethnic background play a role in forecasting the success of a new venture.

So, what does make a difference in the success or failure of a new small business?

Meir Liraz, president of BizMove.com, a free informational web site for entrepreneurs and small business owners, cites nine factors:

• Staying current.

• Having a financial plan.

• Forecasting cash flow.

• Having a mentor.

• Maintaining a balance between work, play and family.

• Networking.

• Having discipline and motivation.

• Not resting on your laurels.

• Doing something you love.

Why We Buy by Paco Underhill

Retail is a science. And a social history. And a
business. And if you combine these three area, you will understand the author's reason for establishing his company, Envirosell.

Underhill takes the reader on a fascinating journey
through the world of shopping. Wise retailers will
pick up on his tips to make customers. For instance, placing a chair near clothing racks tells customers "We Care." Shortening the wait at cashier counters will create an image of supreme competence in the customer's mind.

Most retail operation owners are men. However, most shoppers are women. And women demand more of shopping environments than men do. They want areas where they
can move comfortably at their own pace. They do not want to bend down to look at anything below the waist.  This is hard on the knees and nobody likes to experience the "butt brush".

Before retailers in the brick-and-mortar stores begin to worry about the Internet taking over, Underhill explains why that will never happen. There will always be a place for actual shopping as opposed to virtual shopping. As long as customers express a desire to TOUCH what they buy, the Internet will never replace Saks.