Many women dream about starting their own business. Some already have a startup idea. Having an idea is one thing, but turning that idea into a business is a different matter.

Building a startup is hard—90% of startups fail, with over 20% failing in the first year. Even among startups backed by venture capital, the failure rate is 75%.

What you do with your idea determines your success or failure, but the following tips from The Every Women will help you turn an idea into a startup.

Evaluate Your Idea

Not every startup idea is created equal. Even what seems like good startup ideas may not be a good fit for you.

Before you commit more resources to your startup, make sure your idea is valid. Interview your potential customers and gauge their interest in what you plan to offer. Research potential competitors to see how you can do a better job.

Some questions you have to ask:

• What problems are you solving?
• Who are your customers?
• How do you compete with your competitors?

Once you’ve determined that your idea is a good one, you need to decide if you have what it takes to pursue this idea:

• Do you have the expertise to build your product?
• Are you knowledgeable about your target market?

Write a Business Plan

A business plan acts as the road map of your startup journey. It describes what you plan to do in the next few years and how you plan to do it.

The process of writing the business plan helps you think through the various issues of starting and growing your company. According to one study, entrepreneurs who build their startups with business plans are up to twice as likely to succeed in growing their startups, securing investments, and obtaining loans.

Form an LLC

In starting any business, you need to protect yourself by limiting your liability. The best way to do that is to form a limited liability company, or LLC, for your startup.

Like a corporation, an LLC limits your liability so your personal assets are protected from creditors. Unlike a C corporation, an LLC gives you the tax advantage of not having to pay taxes twice—all profits of your startup pass through to you, and you only pay taxes once.

While an S corporation also allows you to avoid double taxation, an LLC offers the advantage of less paperwork and more flexibility.

You can hire a lawyer to form an LLC for you, but you can also do the filing yourself to save some money. Different states have different regulations regarding LLC formation, so check the rules in your state before filing.

Alternatively, you can use an online LLC formation service like IncFile or Rocket Lawyer.

Execute Your Business Plan

Now that you have the road map (business plan) and the legal structure (LLC) for your startup, it’s time to execute.

Follow your business plan to work on tasks such as fundraising, hiring, product development, sales, and marketing. Be flexible. As you learn more about your business and market, adapt your actions accordingly to optimize your chance of success.

As part of your marketing efforts, focus on specific areas like logo design and social media. Remember, your logo is like your calling card, and you want to create something that draws attention or looks elegant. The graphic logo design tool from Adobe Spark makes this easy. Simply find a template that matches your aesthetic, and then customize it as needed with their library of design features. As for social media, note that this is one of the most cost-effective ways to market your business, so make it a priority to regularly post. You can take some of the tedium out of this task by scheduling regular posts through a site like Social Pilot.

Expect the Unexpected

The above framework provides a guideline to turn your idea into a startup. Just remember that no plan is perfect. You’ll run into unexpected difficulties. Don’t get disheartened; keep pushing. Perseverance is what separates successful female entrepreneurs from the pack.