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

G'day Dien and the rest of the gang.

I've enjoyed reading this thread and I've got to say, I must be lucky!

You see, I love to write, and that love, that passion, led me to start my mail order business around three years ago.

I didn't always get paid for my writings ... I used to write fiction, mainly short stories. None were published. It wasn't until I started looking for markets first, and then developing a book to suit that market, that I began to make money.

So, in my opinion, you can make money by following your passion. It may take a bit of compromising on your part, it may you have to view your passion a bit differently to suit an already established market ... but it can be done.

Take care all!

Pete

> 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