If you’ve been thinking about franchise ownership for any length of time, you’ve probably heard how important it is to follow your passion. So I’d like to talk about passion today because it’s been written about a lot, there are courses online, and all kinds of advice around “Do what you love and the money will follow.” But folks, I think following your passion is one of the most misunderstood aspects of going into self-employment.
The Passion Trap: When Hobby Meets Business Reality
See, “do what you love and the money will follow” is incomplete advice. What happens when people follow their passion blindly? If their passion is a hobby, like loving cooking and wanting to open a restaurant, or loving golf and deciding to open a golf store, they run into trouble. The reality is, what it takes to run a business is very different from the hobby you enjoy.
When you have a hobby, it’s a place to relax, disconnect, and recharge. But when you turn that hobby into a business, you lose that ability to recharge. Over the years, I’ve seen many people end up resenting their hobby, disliking the business, and eventually closing it down because it wasn’t what they thought it would be.
Aligning Passion With The Work That Drives The Business
The way you want to think about following your passion is: What various types of work are you really good at and love doing? If you can say, “Geez, I love doing ___” and that’s a core success driver for the business you’re considering, then you’re on the right track. You want your passion to be connected with the work it takes to put your product or service in the customer’s hands, and the work it takes to drive the core aspects of the business.
It’s equally important to look at what you’re not passionate about, what drains your energy and what erodes your passion. You don’t want a business where the core functions are things you’re not good at or don’t like. Every business has tasks you have to get done even if you don’t enjoy them, but the more you can find passion in the work that delivers your product or service to your target market, that’s where true success comes from.
Exploring Your Passion and Building a Sustainable Business
My job is to help you look at the things you’re passionate about, things you probably haven’t thought about yet. What erodes your passion? What is the work it really takes to achieve the financial and lifestyle goals you’re seeking? The goal is to help you build a business you’re passionate about driving, and where you can also derive significant enjoyment and satisfaction from doing the core work.
I look forward to exploring this possibility with you. Book a call now.
Originally posted on LinkedIn
