Spend the time it takes to learn from others and take advantage of the experience of others. Make every investment dollar spent bring value in the form of cash dividends. You will find that investing in those companies that raise their dividend every year, coupled with stock appreciation to be a very powerful and effective wealth creating formula.
STEP#1. First you have to recognize that in order to make money in almost any market (i.e. stocks, commodities, real estate, etc.) you need to have the market in motion. In other words, the prices or value have to be changing substantially, either up or down, for you to make money. Did you know that many traders back in the NASDAQ bubble made millions by adopting a style that made perfect sense for the type of bubble market that was being experienced? Of course this was financially devastating to buy and hold investors who bought at the market top. So what is the difference? The answer is a difference in investing/trading style and risk management.
Your initial planning is the key. The number of hours you can spend, getting your identity package done, setting up your office, making the contacts, making your calls, and setting your goals (both short term and long term). In effect, getting your ducks in order, being sure all your P&Q's are taken care of, and then just getting started.