Yes. First off -- it can be very expensive and time consuming depending on the complexity of your patent, but if it is that good and marketable then it should definitely be investigated.

Generally, from the time that you file to when the patent is issued in the US will be between 24 to 36 months depending on the backlog at the patent office.

Meanwhile, you are protected by the "patent pending" process which basically says that if you have filed and find that a company has replicated your product, then you may send them a letter asking them to discontinue providing that product offering. If they choose to continue after receiving notification, then upon being granted the patent you may go after them for any proceeds they received after receiving notification. I am not certain as to what damages can be sought, but I believe that in a case in which they did not receive proceeds, but neglected your notification, you may be able to go after mis. damages (please don't quote me on that :-))

The initial stage is to do a patent search to determine that no one has already filed/been issued a patent for the invention.

If your invention is really really good or complex, you may want to consider a good attorney/law firm that specializes in patents for your particular class of product. For example, if it is software related, then you will want an attorney that specializes in patents related to software engineering.