Did you ever dream of making it big on the stock market, but you just didn’t feel that you had the type of access that you would need to be successful? The good news is that,  most stock trading will is done online, largely by unaffiliated individuals sitting comfortably in their own home offices.

One of the beautiful things about the internet is that it makes practices that used to be the domain of only a few people accessible to everyone with a computer and a web connection. Stock trading is one of these fields. To become deeply involved in the stock market, you no longer have to hold an MBA or be employed by a trading firm. All you need is web technology and a little money to get started.

Ready to get started? Follow these steps:

1. Research and formulate a strategy: Learn as much as possible about the stock market, including its history, its jargon, and the current popular trading philosophies. Think about how you want to approach your own trades, and write out a strategy that determines how you will respond to various sets of circumstances. Most trading veterans will tell you that it is essential to automate the process as much as possible, and having a strategy is the first step. Having a strategy removes all guesswork and gives you a rigid set of rules to go by.

2. Find a broker: Find a broker that is reputable and whose customer service meets your needs. If you’re going to be trading online, you’ll probably want to use a company that has a large online presence and a software platform that works well for traders at all experience levels. If you’re not sure which broker to use, go to trading review websites and message boards and read what people have had to say about the various services.

A simple Google search will turn up many brokers with an online presence—but you have to be careful to avoid scammers. Remember that wherever money is moving back and forth, someone’s always going to try to scam a few bucks out of unsuspecting people. Only open an account with a broker that you know for certain is the real deal.

3. Practice: It may seem a waste of time to make trades that involve no money, but in fact, practice trades are the best way to get a feel for how trades work, and they also allow you to test your strategy out in the real-world financial system. Various websites, brokers, and trading software platforms provide the means for you to make practice trades.

4. Start trading: Even if you’ve done all your preparation and practice, you might want to start out small. Make a few trades, put up as little of your own money as possible, and see how things play out over time. Remember, successful stock traders must have the patience to allow their strategies to unfold over the long term. Put your strategy to work, and set a future date to revisit your strategy based on your growing experience