"Do what you love and the money will follow?"

There's a saying which some still repeat.... It goes,

"Do what you love, and the money will follow."

We've discussed this here before on Sowpub, but it could be good to mention it again.

I love to do a lot of things. I love body surfing. I love listening to music. I love deep philosophical discussions. Does that mean that the ideal thing for me to do is to keep doing these things?

Business is about fulfilling a want in the community.... Unfortunately, my body surfing doesn't fulfil a very big want in the community (no matter how much I love to do it)!

I think the ideal is to find a particular intersection.... Find out what are viable businesses. What will make money for you.

Once you have many of these in front of you - many ideas - then choose one or more to do. Think through it - what will it actually entail? Make a plan of some kind - it doesn't have to be a formal business plan, it could be a simple flow chart of what you need to do.

The ideal is to choose something which will bring in money, and which you love to do as well! (Or at least like to do!)

The fact is, work takes up a big chunk of our lives.... It's best to spend it doing something you enjoy!

If you enjoy meeting and talking to people, start a business which will let you do that. If you like solving technical problems, find a business which lets you do that. Some people just like setting up businesses - so that's their "business"! They set up businesses, then let them run, or sell them only to start another!

It helps to have lots of viable businesses in front of you to do this.... I realize I'm "tooting my own horn", but The Great Ideas Letter is perfect for that reason!

I put all the issues in front of me in a big folder.... It makes it easy to skim through them. Dozens of viable ideas.... Unusual ones. Interesting ones. Having all these ideas in front of you stimulates more ideas in your mind.... Perhaps different variations of what's there. Or combinations.

Anyhow, "Do what you love and the money will follow" is a widespread myth.... Of course, it's great to be able to do what you love. And if you're doing what you love, you'll probably do it better than most people will. But - not EVERYTHING you love to do will bring you an income.

So, instead - out of the things you could do to bring an income - choose one of those options which you love to do the best. :)

- Dien Rice

Hi,

This will be short because I've got hot pancakes waiting for me.

Speaking of pancakes, let me use them as my example for this post.

I love to eat pancakes. So according to the myth I should eat pancakes and the money will follow. It doesn't happen.

Why doesn't it happen? Because my love for eating pancakes is only fulfilled by the specific act of eating pancakes. I have other "loves" that can be fulfilled less specifically. For example, my love of gaining power can be (temporarily) fulfilled by making a sale.

To make the Myth work, you have to put a spin on it.

Best,

- Boyd

Hi,

Another way the Myth screws people up is that they say something like:

"I love photography so I should set up a photography business." This sounds right at first, but it's actually apples and oranges.

UNTRUE: "I love photography so I should set up a photography business."

TRUE: "I love taking orders for photos and then selling the photos to people, so I should set up a photography business."

Best,

- Boyd

Good observations, Boyd.

I would take it a little deeper, though.

Say I love taking photographs of landscapes.

I hear the "do what you love" thing and decide to open a photography business.

BIG MISTAKE!

The moment I open that photography business where people come in and get me to take photos of things, is the moment I STOP doing what I love.

What I love is taking photos of landscapes. Landscapes I choose to take photos of. Landscapes that call to me and inspire me. Landscapes I feel some kind of connection with.

Taking a photo of a shoe with a snake slithering through it, because that is what the clients wants, is NOT landscapes. It is not what I love.

For the landscape taking photographer to be truly happy, they must continue to take photos of landscapes of their choosing. Then offer those photos up for sale.

And if they are no good at selling, then an agent must take care of that for them.

But it may go even deep than that.

What part of you is satisfied when you take a landscape photograph of your choosing? And could that part of you be satisfied in some other way?

If taking photos of landscapes which you choose, satisfies some Creative Element inside of you, then it stands to reason that another activity, besides photography, could also satisfy that Creative Element. It might be Painting (Art), Sculpting, Sketching, Image Manipulation, Writing, or a host of other creative "hobbies."

Dien asked if there was a way for him to make money from Body Surfing.

At first, the obvious answer is to open a Body Surfing School. But that makes Dien a Teacher - something he may not like.

What would work is for someone to Film Dien in action and for those video to be sold. Not by Dien though. Because that would make him a Video Seller, not a Body Surfer.

Also, Dien could enter Body Surfing competitions all over the world and win prize money.

The only drawback to this is, he needs to be supported, or have independent income coming in, while he practices body surfing until he is good enough to enter the world class contests.

You may remember the story of the Golfer and his Wife. It went like this...

After a lifetime of Work, Joe (not his real name) retired. He was now able to fulfil his dream of playing all the major golf course across the country.

His wife did not like golf but did like photography.

As Joe played the courses his wife took photos of them.

The resulting photos were compiled into a book, published, and made them millionaires.

Neither liked publishing, marketing, or any of that "stuff" which gets the book sold. Others took care of that. They just did what they enjoyed - he played golf and she took photos.

Notice how they were able to do this because they didn't have to earn money?

In other words, if they were still working they would not have had the time to do this. If they were paying off huge debt, they would not have had the spare money to do this.

The same applies to Dien and body surfing. If he works (business or job) because he needs money to live, he does not have the available time to practice body surfing to the extent he becomes skilled enough at it that people would buy videos of him, or he would win prize money.

The alternative is a Body Surfing Newsletter. Where Dien body surfs all the beaches of Australia (and the world at some stage) and writes reviews.

Problem is, Dien is a Body Surfer and not a Writer (for the sake of the example). He is a Body Surfer and not a Publisher. He is a Body Surfer and not a Marketer. And yet, he needs to be a Writer, Publisher and Marketer to get subscribers. And hopefully enough subscribers so subscription money is enough to support him while he travels around and body surfs all the beaches.

Catch 22.

In Joe Innis' work "How To Be a Rich and Famous Artist and Still Paint Pictures", or something like that, he mentions using agents to get your Work sold. That way you are able to do what you love - paint.

In that regard, Dien could surf a different beach each week. And instead of writing his review, he could dictate it. Then someone else could transcribe it. (Or he could dictate it straight into Real Audio format using Real Player's Real Audio Encoder, and offer an Audio Newsletter.)

Marketing could be handed over to someone else. Or Dien could handle that himself with a small bit of effort, if he chose to market totally online.

Would something like this fly?

Don't know. Got to test to find out.

There is a way to do what you love and make money from it. It usually involves delegating and using Leverage (Other people's resources) though.

Michael Ross


Learn more about Leverage here.

> Say I love taking photographs of landscapes.
> I hear the "do what you love"
> thing and decide to open a photography
> business.
> BIG MISTAKE!

Ron's post about saying no was a perfect example of this. He sounds like he gets to do what he loves, but isn't loaded down with work he hates (snake in a shoe, photos of collicky crying babies in shirley temple outfits, etc).

I don't know how Ron is doing. But he sounded like he made good money when he has work and that he genuinely enjoys doing it.

> The moment I open that photography business
> where people come in and get me to take
> photos of things, is the moment I STOP doing
> what I love.

Yes, those are good points, Michael.

> Taking a photo of a shoe with a snake
> slithering through it, because that is what
> the clients wants, is NOT landscapes. It is
> not what I love.

What a weird, but probably realistic example of what a photographer has to deal with :) Snake in a shoe... for a few rolls, to get the best angle and lighting. Then next client. Bronzed baby shoe and an orange... together at last.

> For the landscape taking photographer to be
> truly happy, they must continue to take
> photos of landscapes of their choosing. Then
> offer those photos up for sale.

Yes, this would be the ideal do what you love business for this particular photographer. Taking exactly the photos he wants to, where he wants to, when he wants to.

> And if they are no good at selling, then an
> agent must take care of that for them.

Maybe part of it is to do well with what you love some people will need to expand their abilities in other areas they aren't sure about. I know of many a business owner who loves their business, but doesn't know marketing.

Suddenly they NEED to increase their sales just to stay in business. They tiptoe into their local library and check out a few marketing books. Maybe they also do what is meant to be a quick search on the internet and end up someplace like here.

Before long they find themselves head over heels in love with marketing AND their business. They have a new interest and are simply incorporating it into their old love.

Of course, this doesn't happen all the time. And it's a selective example. But if it can happen just a few times in just a few areas, doesn't that make it valid for those people? Won't they be getting to do what they love?

True, they had to try something new and expand a little, but it seems like the people who do that are the ones who do well anyway (just a crazy coincidence I guess).

> What part of you is satisfied when you take
> a landscape photograph of your choosing? And
> could that part of you be satisfied in some
> other way?

Hmmm. Maybe :) And I haven't even discovered that part yet. But I can imagine it.

> If taking photos of landscapes which you
> choose, satisfies some Creative Element
> inside of you, then it stands to reason that
> another activity, besides photography, could
> also satisfy that Creative Element. It might
> be Painting (Art), Sculpting, Sketching,
> Image Manipulation, Writing, or a host of
> other creative "hobbies."

Yes, I think doing what you love might require trying different things, being flexible, willing to experiment. Things seem to work in odd ways. As soon as you decide its the only thing you want to do in life, you might try something else and enjoy it more. Maybe something that could turn into a business/hobby/income stream.

> Dien asked if there was a way for him to
> make money from Body Surfing.

> At first, the obvious answer is to open a
> Body Surfing School. But that makes Dien a
> Teacher - something he may not like.

True. Although, this seems like a very good way for him to stay close to what he loves. This is probably the easiest route for our local body surf king here though.

> What would work is for someone to Film Dien
> in action and for those video to be sold.
> Not by Dien though. Because that would make
> him a Video Seller, not a Body Surfer.

You're right, Michael. Without doing any selling, he is somewhat limiting his options.

Even with the lessons. But I think someone in Dien's position would find that it wouldn't feel like "selling" (as if they hate it) to find a few students and tell them about the lessons you'll offer. Most body surfers would probably just consider it easy to talk about and describe the experience in glowing enthusiastic terms.

> The only drawback to this is, he needs to be
> supported, or have independent income coming
> in, while he practices body surfing until he
> is good enough to enter the world class
> contests.

Or to live the surfer lifestyle of the 1950s and live in a van or a bungaloo with 6 other body surfers, waking up for the waves. Only coming in once they're completely spent for a restful rejuvenating sleep. Getting up the next day to hop in the beaten up VW van and driving to the next cove they heard about.

> You may remember the story of the Golfer and
> his Wife. It went like this...
> Notice how they were able to do this because
> they didn't have to earn money?

Yes, I did notice. And I'll think about that more, Michael.

Inching towards a book called the Joy of Not Working by Edward Zelinkski. I'll keep you updated.

> The alternative is a Body Surfing
> Newsletter. Where Dien body surfs all the
> beaches of Australia (and the world at some
> stage) and writes reviews.
> Problem is, Dien is a Body Surfer and not a
> Writer (for the sake of the example). He is
> a Body Surfer and not a Publisher. He is a
> Body Surfer and not a Marketer. And yet, he
> needs to be a Writer, Publisher and Marketer
> to get subscribers. And hopefully enough
> subscribers so subscription money is enough
> to support him while he travels around and
> body surfs all the beaches.
> Catch 22.

Sure, I get all that. And I understand your distinction about being specific vs. being a little more vague about what you love doing in another post too.

> There is a way to do what you love and make
> money from it. It usually involves
> delegating and using Leverage (Other
> people's resources) though.

Good summary of what is needed, Michael. I like to think it's possible too.

Success,

Erik Lukas

is...

The idea of handing off the marketing to someone else.

In my experience, that "someone else," doesn't exist. They're too busy marketing their own products, and making money from ventures where they do not have to pay YOU a royalty.

Unless it's a mass market product, and you get someone like Guthy Renker interested-- you're not going to find that person for a niche product.

Just my .02.
- Adam.


Adam's Autoresponder... Made for the Direct Response Marketer...

We could end up spliting straws here...

Many people selling your products for you - affiliate, drop shipping.

A small number of people selling for you - commissioned salesmen and women.

Placing product in stores "on consignment."

Doing a deal with someone who has a list. Hire someone like Gordon to write your marketing - hey, he might even put the whole shebang together for you. (There are people skilled at selling who would rather sell than deal with creating products.)

Agents. Granted, an agent is often just a glorified go-between who doesn't "appear" to do a lot for their money. But they can also give you "cred" in certain industries where breaking in without them is near on impossible - like screenwriting. They often have connections that would take you a lifetime to acquire on your own.

Can a person do a better job of selling their own thing than a professional salesman?

Some can. Some can't. And some can but can't be bothered and would rather hire someone to do it.

There is always a way to generate sales by using other people's resources.

Michael Ross


Learn more about using Other People's Resources here

Hi Dien;

You bring up some interesting points. : )

As you know, I've been working with business owners for over two decades to show them why they aren't as profitable as they could be. Whether I do that through site design, ad creation or copywriting - the common factor is that I look for "why" a business isn't working.

One of the most common factors that I see when a business isn't working - which also is applicable to starting a new business - is that people tend to have trouble looking at their business through the consumer's eyes.

> The ideal is to choose something which will
> bring in money, and which you love to do as
> well! (Or at least like to do!)

> The fact is, work takes up a big chunk of
> our lives.... It's best to spend it doing
> something you enjoy!

Very true. It is "ideal" to love what you're going to spend a huge chunk of time doing. Yet, many people don't. There are hundreds of thousands of people that complain about hating their job on a daily basis.

So, why do they continue? Because they get a paycheck. Why do they get a paycheck? Because, for the most part, they KNOW their job and someone is willing to pay them for what they know - whether they enjoy it or not.

The paycheck is the cake. Knowledge (of their job) and application (of the skills) are the ingredients required to bake the cake. LIKING their job is the icing on the cake. Cakes can be eaten without icing. Not as tasty - but palatable in most cases.

> Anyhow, "Do what you love and the money
> will follow" is a widespread myth....
> Of course, it's great to be able to do what
> you love. And if you're doing what you love,
> you'll probably do it better than most
> people will. But - not EVERYTHING you love
> to do will bring you an income.

"Do what you love and the money will follow" is only a myth to those that do not understand how to view this saying through the eyes of the people that will be handing over the money.

Let's take "Joe" as an example. Joe heard that Golf is a very lucrative business and that some golf sites are pulling in tons of cash a month.

So, Joe puts up a golf site. Joe doesn't know diddly about golf - but he heard that it's lucrative. He picks the best products - the names he hears all the time. He sits back and waits for the money to roll in. But, it doesn't.
Why?

Well, frankly - it's because Joe doesn't know diddly about golf. He doesn't know where the golf nuts hang out. He doesn't read the same magazines. He doesn't know enough about golf to tell anyone anything about it. He doesn't know enough about golf to write a good ad if his life depended on it - nor does he know enough to know who to hire to help him out because he can't tell a true golfer from some one full of bs.

And if Joe gets a true golfer asking him a question, he's going to sound like a pathetic ninny when he tried to answer. And that true golf lover is going to tell his golf buddies that Joe is a ninny and not to buy from him because he doesn't know a nine iron from a five iron, much less anything more complex.

> I love to do a lot of things. I love body
> surfing. I love listening to music. I love
> deep philosophical discussions. Does that
> mean that the ideal thing for me to do is to
> keep doing these things?

No. What it DOES mean is that you are more likely to have the knowledge base required to run a business in those areas.

If you actually DO body surf, you may be able to answer the questions of a customer that also body surfs. If you didn't body surf, you would have NO clue because any information you do have is based on theory, not experience.

> Business is about fulfilling a want in the
> community.... Unfortunately, my body surfing
> doesn't fulfil a very big want in the
> community (no matter how much I love to do
> it)!

Exactly. Business is about fulfillling a want in the community. But, it goes beyond that. A business owner must have the knowledge base required to run the business successfully. Often times, that knowledge base exists because you have an interest in the subject matter.

Let's say I discover that there is a need, in my community, for high performance auto parts. Perhaps there is no one selling any, and people from this area are ordering from another province.

Does that mean I can make a ton of cash selling high performance auto parts? Probably not. Why? Because I don't know diddly about high performance auto parts. Why don't I know diddly about high performance auto parts? Because I have never had an interest in them.

But... couldn't I just hire people that have the knowledge that I don't? Probably not. Why? Because I wouldn't know a truly qualified person from one that is talking bs and pulling the wool over my eyes because they want the job. I might end up hiring someone that didn't know squat and they'd help me drive my business right into the ground.

I would need to learn the industry inside out before I contemplated opening a business in that industry. How likely am I to do that? Not likely at all - because I've never had an interest in it.

So... if you want people to buy from you... the best best is to pick something that you enjoy - and build a business around it. That way, you have the knowledge base to SELL in that industry.

In a nutshell, that's why so many websites are failing. People come to the internet thinking that all they have to do is slap up a couple of books that they get commission on - or that they bought resell rights to - and they are going to make a ton of cash. Not so, as they discover.

I like to ask people what they are qualified and knowledgeable enough to sell offline. That's what they can sell online, too. If you would not apply for a job in a marketing department, you should not be selling marketing materials. If you would not apply for a job as a distributor selling golf products, you aren't going to fare any better selling golf products online.

Knowledge of the industry is imperative. If you pick a hobby that you KNOW, your odds of success go up exponentially.

Just my two cents...

: )
Linda


http://www.lindacaroll.com

Hi Linda,

A great post! :)

I think we're interpreting "Do what you love and the money will follow" in different ways....

I guess my interpretation (in my post) is more of an ACTIVITY-based interpretation. I'm interpreting it as "Do the ACTIVITY you love, and the money will follow".... And I'm saying it's not necessarily true.

To follow on with your golf example.... If I enjoy playing golf, does that mean I'll enjoy running a golf course? Possibly not.

That's because playing golf and running a golf course are quite different activities. One involves getting out on the green and hitting some golf balls, the other involves organizing staff, a lot of administration, etc. etc.

The way I'm interpreting it, "Do the ACTIVITY you love" means playing golf! That is, try to become a golf pro.

However, becoming a golf pro may not be the best way for you to make money - no matter how much you may love playing golf.

Yes, you could succeed in running a golf course - but you may not love doing it.

Linda, I think you are using more of a KNOWLEDGE-based interpretation. Something like, "Do something related to what you love and KNOW about, and the money will follow."

I think you're right (in many cases). It's a great interpretation of the saying, and also gives insight as well....

What you're saying is that if you love to do something, you'll be more likely to have insights into how to make a business succeed, if that business caters to others like you who love that activity as well.

If you interpret it that way, it means something quite different.

(By the way, everyone on this thread is essentially interpreting it one way or another. It's helpful, I think, to see that we are using two quite different interpretations of the same thing - which is probably the real source of disagreement here.)

By the way, I love your cake analogy, with the cake being the pay check, the application of knowledge being the ingredients, and "loving" what you do being the icing on the cake! Thanks for sharing that.... :)

Best wishes,

- Dien

Hi Dien! (& all)


> A great post! :)


Thanks. : )


> I think we're interpreting "Do what you love and the money will follow" in different ways....


Are we? I'm not so sure we are. You see, if you were to widen your options in "doing" we might find that we're talking apples to apples.


> To follow on with your golf example.... If I enjoy playing golf, does that mean I'll enjoy running a golf course? Possibly not. That's because playing golf and running a golf course are quite different activities. One involves getting out on the green and hitting some golf balls, the other involves organizing staff, a lot of administration, etc. etc.

The way I'm interpreting it, "Do the ACTIVITY you love" means playing golf! That is, try to become a golf pro.


But, are you sure?? Does "DOING" the activity you love mean you have to become a golf pro?

What if what you "DO" involves making a video tape of winning tips? Or writing a book that reviews the golf courses in your state so people can hit a new course armed with knowledge of the good and bad holes on that course?


> However, becoming a golf pro may not be the best way for you to make money - no matter
how much you may love playing golf.



No, it might not. But there are certainly lots of other ways you could continue to PLAY golf and make some money because of the skill and knowledge you have.

After all, playing golf is what you love, right? You might not love being a golf pro and contending with the politics of competitive golf tournaments. But if PLAYING golf is the love, there might be other ways to become profitable because you love to play golf.

The key is inventive thinking to *find* that way.


Linda, I think you are using more of a KNOWLEDGE-based interpretation. Something like, "Do something related to what you love and KNOW about, and the money will follow."


I think my approach is to combine *doing* what you love with the knowledge you gain from doing, and finding a way to profit from that combination.

An avid sewer that sews so much that she can draw her own patterns can sell those patterns and continue to sew her heart out. Or, she can sew unique garments and sell them. Or, she can teach others to sew. There are many ways to profit while still "doing" what she loves.

The same applies to any passion and any field. You do not have to give up the *doing* to make money. Inventive thinking is the key. : )


> What you're saying is that if you love to do
> something, you'll be more likely to have
> insights into how to make a business
> succeed, if that business caters to others
> like you who love that activity as well.


In all honesty - while I agree - the point is more that if you do NOT love something, you are not likely to have enough knowledge of that thing to make money at it. Better to go with what you know - which is likely something you enjoy. : )


> By the way, I love your cake analogy...Thanks for sharing that.... :)


You're very welcome. *grinning*

To add a little more to the proverbial soup pot, saying "follow your passion and the money will follow" is a very incomplete recipe for success.

It is like saying "there is sugar in a recipe for sugar cookies." Does that mean that sugar is ALL you need to bake sugar cookies? Of course not.

Yes, a person must know and love something to be able to make money at it. However, there is more to the recipe than that. Much more. Teaching people *that* recipe is what I do. *g*

Thanks Dien - I always do enjoy our exchanges! I truly enjoy the opportunity to see through the eyes and experiences of others - it helps me grow, too.

: )
Linda


http://www.lindacaroll.com