If you are reading this article and have found yourself in our little corner of the web, chances are that you care about money.  You may be on the lookout for ways that you can improve your bottom line by finding new ways to save money. Or you may be hoping to find some inspiration for a new Idea that will enable you to bring in a little extra income, or change your family’s whole financial future.

To help facilitate this kind of change, you may find yourself brainstorming for ideas on how you can make your own fortune.  Perhaps you will invent something that will change people’s lives forever.  Or perhaps you are thinking of starting small and starting a website, which you will one day grow into your own little online empire.

I have been spending a lot of time in the past few weeks reading and listening to the advice of people like Pat Flynn, who continue to innovate and create, and who inspire me to work harder to achieve my own goals.  The natural result of this is that I have found myself doing a lot of exploring of new ideas lately, and I as a result- I have several projects that I am planning to dive into full-bore.

The same thing will happen to you as well when you start searching for that Big Idea.  Eventually, opportunity will come knocking on your door.  What you need to ask yourself is, “Will I be ready to pounce when it does”?

When I speak of opportunity, I am of course not talking about receiving a phone call from your Uncle Madoff, who has a can’t-miss investment proposition. Instead, I am talking about being willing to put forth the required time and effort to bring your big idea to reality.  To dive headfirst into any project, you may have to shift your priorities to free up time to work towards your new passion.  You will need to read books and related websites, learn new skills, meet some other people in the industry, and perhaps even hire some people along the way to help bring your idea towards reality.

In addition to the commitment of time and energy, you may will likely need a financial investment to bring your big idea forward.  You may need to cover your living expenses if you quit your day job to work on your big idea big time (something I wouldn’t necessarily endorse), or you may need to purchase equipment or web-hosting software and packages.  If you are selling a physical product, you will likely have to make a deposit with a manufacturer to develop a prototype, and you may be required to purchase a “minimum amount” of the product up front, in case you have difficulty selling it.  You may also need to purchase core business supplies like a postage scale or a credit card reader.

Is it worth investing your time and money to bring your big idea to a reality?  That of course depends on how good of an idea it really is.  Before moving all of your chips to the table, it is likely a smart move to kick the tires on your idea on a smaller-scale at first.  For example, you can start implementing your plan in your free time on nights and weekends, while keeping a 9-5 job during the days to keep paying your bills.  If you product starts to gain momentum, you can dedicate more time and resources to it as necessary, eventually seeking to make it your full-time work.

If you are already dreaming and searching for your next big idea, then you are halfway there, my friends.  You have the true entrepreneurial spirit, and you have one up on the vast majority of people.  The next step is making sure that you are ready to pounce on that opportunity when it finally arrives.