For you, since you are still employed at your job, I would suggest that you start chatting to people in your area that have started / are starting companies. Figure out how they did it. You'll learn much more over a beer than anything we can probably tell you here.
Then figure out what frustrations you want to solve for people. Think about whether they are going to have those frustrations five years from now and then go talk to them.
As for carrying skills over to a new career, given your technical background you'll have good project management skills and incredible knowledge into mining. What sorts of problems / frustrations can you solve for mining companies / employees? That's an easier way to start than how do I become the next google.