Tim,
There are a lot of threads like this where people (me included) have posed the same question. They generally get a flood of responses, so a little browse through previous posts is the way to go. I know Ive learnt a LOT by spending many many work hours looking through old posts :P.
Try this one
Where to start link
for starters. But there are 4-5 just like it with all the info youll need as a starting point.
Cheers