Starting to run your own restaurant is a very exciting time. However, it is also very stressful and can become even worse if you don't know what you're doing and what you need to do after you start up your restaurant.

For a startup you will need to have a definite plan and then you'll have to make sure that you follow the plan every step along the way. Your plan should include financial goals, getting a mentor and following his/her suggestions, and operational goals.

The first thing you need to do is figure out how much money it will take to get started with your restaurant. You need to make sure you are realistic with all the costs. Don't try to cut corners and think that you'll be able to keep costs lower than you really will be able to. If you are unrealistic during this stage, you are doing noting more than setting yourself up for failure.

Once you have the plan in place for your startup then you need to make sure you actually stick to the budget. You don't want to overspend and put yourself in a hole at any point during the process of opening your restaurant. You also want to make sure you continue to follow your budget with the daily operations of your restaurant.

Speaking of daily operations, you also need to plan and then go forward with how you will run your business on a daily basis. You want to plan how you'll acquire proper sources for your foods, what sales goals you'll have, and how you plan to keep and meet the sales goals after you launch your restaurant.

Of course behind all the planning - and helping you along the way - should be a mentor. Everyone needs someone who has successfully gone through the process of starting up a restaurant and also operating the restaurant. Your mentor should be someone you can freely talk to and someone who is willing to help you at each step along the way. With the help of your mentor you'll be able to more accurately predict how much money you'll need and everything else it'll take to start-up and then run your restaurant.

For a new startup you need to plan both the money it will take to plan, start, and run the restaurant as well as the operations of the restaurant. Make sure your goals and parameters are realistic and then do everything it takes to reach those goals and stay within the parameters. For example, don't allow yourself to go over budget. If you spend too much money on one thing then you'll have to spend less on something else. If you make a plan and stick by it, you'll have a much better chance to be successful with your dream restaurant.