Got an idea for a business? Do this before everything else.

Every great product that we use today started with an idea. An Apple computer started with Steve Jobs' idea to make personal computers more intuitive. A GoPro camera started with Nick Woodman's idea to create high quality films using a point-and-shoot camera while surfing.

Most likely, if you're reading this article, you have an idea, too. You might be thinking of starting your own business and conquering the world. At work, you probably dream of handing your resignation letter to your oppressive boss and announcing, “I’m starting my own company.”

Aimed with your enthusiasm and your big idea, you now want to take the next step. Find investors, start hiring people, and rent an office space.

This kind of attitude and ambition is admirable. Only a few people in the world are willing to take risks and take a leap of faith.

But before making your idea into a full fledged business, there is something you must do first. This is a step that you should never skip if you truly want to run a sustainable and successful business: test your idea.

Is it truly solving a real problem for a group of people? Is your idea marketable?

Along with your idea, you must also test all of your assumptions--the trivial and the risky ones.

Dharmesh Shah of OnStartups had a great idea for an app. But admittedly, he failed. In his post "The Most Important Thing to Do Before Building Your Startup”, he writes:

The failure wasn’t due to a poorly designed solution; our app simply didn’t solve for a real human need.

There’s a silver lining though: he discovered the importance of validating ideas and assumptions. He continues:

Testing the riskiest assumption at the very start of the project reduces the time it takes to find the biggest flaws in an idea and increase the speed at which we can find a better, more viable alternative.

Now, it's your turn to test your ideas and assumptions. Here are a few questions to get you started:

• How did you come up with the idea? Was it because you are trying to solve a problem in your industry?
• Do other people in your industry have the same problem?
• What are the solutions that they are using now?
• Is your idea going to be so much better?
• What are your assumptions? How can you validate them?

By testing the marketability of your idea and validating assumptions, you can save time and effort. This is not a method to stop your dream and your big ideas. This is a way to keep on improving them.

My Leap of Faith

This year, I took a leap of faith. I had an idea for the longest time: make a living as a freelance writer. It might not be as awesome as building a personal computer or as cool as as building a GoPro camera, but it was still a very big idea that would affect all areas of my life.

Did I test this idea first?

Yes, I did.

By checking out job boards for freelance writers and by applying for writing gigs, I know there is a market for freelance writers like me. And if I work smarter than other writers, I know I can build a business using my skills and talents. After doing considerable amount of research and writing a business plan, I quit my job and braved the world of freelancing.

I made a lot of mistakes along the way. I've made assumptions about a lot of things. Unfortunately, this led to some mistakes. Fortunately, I learned very quickly and made changes.

If I hadn’t made those mistakes, I probably wouldn’t have learned valuable lessons that I know now.

What I’m trying to say is this: If you have an idea--despite the tangible results of the tests and validations--you have to follow your gut and do your thing.

It’s only by making it a reality that you’ll know whether your idea is going to succeed. It’s okay if you fail along the way. It is in failing that you learn the most valuable lesson that you need in order to succeed in your next business venture.

You’re the only one who knows which route to take.

Should you keep your idea in a box, put it in the basement, and let it gather dust? Or should you take it out for a ride?

Image credit: Freedigitalphotos.net/emily9

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