Q: Hi Steve – I have made a lot of money in the corporate world and can now pretty much do whatever I want. What I want is to buy a winery. Do you have any suggestions on starting my “dream business”?

Ari, San Diego

A: You are very fortunate my friend, for both obvious and not-so-obvious reasons.

Having enough money to start or buy almost any business you want is many an entrepreneur’s dream. The money hunt is one of the most annoying, frustrating, scary aspects of starting a small business. So yes, having this handled is a great boon.

Less obviously, that you are even in a position to start a business is almost equally as special. There are few times in life when the stars align themselves so that the opportunity to create a business of one’s choosing avails itself. Usually, either the family or money or an existing career or fear or something gets in the way.

That you can do whatever you want is indeed fairly rare. Here are the keys to making this another successful venture:

Consider your lifestyle: When the time comes that you can do whatever you want (often this applies to retirees whose kids are out of the house or people whose nest-egg is otherwise well-established), the first thing to think about is unrelated to business, namely, what kind of life do you want to lead?

If travel and vacation time are important to you at this stage of life, stop. A business, even a “dream business,” will require a substantial investment of time and money if it is to be successful.

Corporate folks who start their own businesses are usually fairly shocked at the various hats an entrepreneur must not only wear, but become proficient at. The days of secretaries, sales departments, marketing divisions, and R&D will be long gone. All of which is to say, if you are not prepared to devote a lot of time to your new business, again, stop. I don’t care how much money you have; it won’t be fun.

Learn about the business: Once you have established that you are ready to undertake the intrinsic responsibility involved with entrepreneurship and its attendant commitment, you need to dive in and learn about the industry you want to get into.

Sure, trade shows, books and magazines, and the Internet can teach you a lot, but for my money, nothing beats taking a job, if only for a short while, in the industry and meeting with people who are doing what you want to do.

Want to buy a winery? Then go work in a winery for a few months.

Learn about the “everything else”: There are two parts to any business – the part you love (making, selling, and talking about wine) and the “everything else”: Sales, marketing, insurance, taxes, leases, hiring and firing, and so on. Unless you are proficient at the everything else, you won’t have much time getting to do the stuff you love to do.

Even so, consider the money: Of course it is nice to not have to worry about money, but the point of owning a business is to make a profit. How are you going to do that? Even billionaire Paul Allen, the world’s sixth richest man, put his beloved Portland Trail Blazers up for sale because the team was losing so much money.

So you need a business plan, something that analyzes what your business will be, how it will be different and unique, and how you will beat the competition and make a buck.

Once you have these steps in place, you can safely get started in your dream business by doing what any other entrepreneur does: Jumping in, financing the venture, leasing space, hiring staff, and having a Grand Opening party.

Good luck!

Today’s tip: According to Entrepreneur.com, the No. 1 business myth is that “The government has grants for startups.” According to a recent article, “Nothing could be further from the truth!” The only source of “free money,” it says, are some very specific and limited programs for “people with disabilities, veterans, or minorities.”