There is nothing like a group of peers and a few sage advisors to help you zero in on the real challenges of your dream. Before you finalize your course in building a technical solution and commit your resources to the entrepreneurial effort, it makes sense to visit and perhaps join one of the local startup incubators in your community or university.

First, however, let me put your expectations and their role into proper perspective. More and more technical entrepreneurs are telling me about the successful graduates and investors queued behind a few well-known startup incubators, including Y Combinator, TechStars, and the Founder Institute. They dream of appearing at the door with their idea on the back of a napkin and popping out a few months later with investors' money to burn. The reality is far different. More often, aspiring entrepreneurs pop out with the realization that their dream is not really the opportunity for them...