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

> 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.

She would need a sewer system! :-)


http://www.CharliesMagic.com

About 10 years ago, I combined 2 of my "loves": flying and photography to start an aerial photography business.

It's been a fun part time business ever since and I'm very well compensated (hundreds of dollars per hour) for the little time I spend at it. In addition, it's a terrific change from sitting in front of my computer all day.

Over the years I've been asked to take photos of weddings, babies, families, dogs, kids, you name it but each time my answer is the same...

"only if I can take it from my airplane"

That brings a chuckle but it's true.

By focusing on aerial photograpy, (my love) and saying no to all other types of photography (I DON'T love) I've been asked to do, I'm still having a great time flying around taking photos as much as when I first started.

If I would have said yes I would probably have a big full time photography business by now and would spend my days taking photos of crying babies, hyper brides (and their mothers) barking dogs...

I can't think of a more miserable way to spend my time! :-)

Ron

Dear Ron and Everyone Else Here,

First of all, great thread with excellent thought evoking discussion. Believe me, in order to get my typing prior to 6 am it MUST be! (19 month old Sam is teething and woke me up about 90 minutes ago. I decided I might as well stay awake now!!)

Secondly, I wanted to comment on what Ron had to add about saying "NO!" and in my case its about attracting clients who will say "YES!" to who I am as a business owner.

Being awake in the wee hours with Sam is a great example.

I am a Mompreneur, first and foremost.

This December I took Sam out of the home daycare he was in because it just was not suiting my needs at all. Seeing as the school vacation would be upon us three weeks into the month, I decided to just work around Sam's schedule and needs as well as my girls once they came home for the holiday.

I purposefully attract clients who are comfortable and have full knowledge that as a Mother-with-Young-Children who is also an home based entrepreneur I may have more tangles with my time than the average person without little ones about them throughout the work day.

Instead of seeing this as a liability, I see it as an asset. I get to work with people who "get me" and value what I am up to and vice versa.

One of my newest clients said to me: "Julie, just listening to you talk about how you set up your business...your LIFE inspired me!"

Not that it is perfection 24/7....I just have created a way that works for me.

Thanks again, Dien, for starting the thread and for everyone else who has participated thus far.

With Passion and Purpose,

Julie Jordan Scott


Pick Up Your Complimentary New Years Gifts Now!

I think it's interesting that I am more likely to here the "Do what you love, and the money will follow" is a myth from male business owners/entrepreneurs than from women business owners/entrepreneurs. ( This is just a generalization, not an attack on you guys :) )

The "Business of Bliss" is a book about female entrepreneurs who have become successful doing what they love. The title comes from an annual feature done in the August issue of the magazine "Victoria" where they profile women in business...their "dream" businesses. Victoria magazine also puts out another books called "Turn Your Passion Into Profits" and apparently has a new one called "A Shop of One's Own." Both interview women with successful businesses based upon their love/passion. They go through the same struggles and failures as other businesses...and the same successes.

Does starting a business based on what you love guarantee success. No. However, I think that most people who start businesses based on what they love get so caught up in the "love" part that they don't focus on the business part. You do have to honestly ask yourself if your "love" can be turned into a viable business. Not every hobby can be turned into a business. And there might not be a market for it in your area (which is why the internet has helped many people as they can reach their audience better). And there are dozens of other factors that have to be looked at as well (as most everyone here has pointed out).

If you have something you love try it out on paper to see if maybe it really can be a viable business. Brainstorm various ways of turning it into a business Do your business research like you should on any business idea. Many times that wants in the community match our own loves. If you love surfing you could open a store, start a website where you sell books on how to surf or whatever, you could teach it, you could create artwork or greeting cards about/for surfers, etc. It's endless. Base it on what you love/like, what you're skills are, what you're willing to sacrifice for it, etc.

That sacrifice thing reminds me of another reason why those "doing what they love" fail. They think because they love it that it's going to be easy and are disillusioned when sometime's it's hard work. So they quit thinking it should be easy when in reality ANY business has it's difficulties.

All in all I think whether you base a business on what you love or not, it comes down to businsess is business. You have to treat them the same way, take the same steps, before the "money will follow".

Okay, that's just several of "my two cents."

Men will supposedly be more likely to say "do what you love" is a myth and woman won't.

In my post I said doing anything other than Body Surfing was not what Dien loved. And yet you said,

> If you love surfing you
> could open a store, start a website where
> you sell books on how to surf or whatever,
> you could teach it, you could create artwork
> or greeting cards about/for surfers, etc.
> It's endless. Base it on what you love/like,
> what you're skills are, what you're willing
> to sacrifice for it, etc.

Opening a store, creating a website, selling books, or art or greeting cards, might be related to surfing - but - it's not what the love is. The love is surfing. So by doing all the above, you are not actually doing what you love.

> That sacrifice thing reminds me of another
> reason why those "doing what they
> love" fail. They think because they
> love it that it's going to be easy and are
> disillusioned when sometime's it's hard
> work. So they quit thinking it should be
> easy when in reality ANY business has it's
> difficulties.

Maybe it's because they aren't really doig what they love... but something related to it, but not it exactly.

And that could be why the different take between men and women. Women being more broad in the definition than men. And women considering they are still doing what they love when a man would not think it is.

Michael Ross

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

Hi, Folks,

I haven't posted much here but this topic is very 'current' for me these days. I started out to write and publish my writings on the internet. Then I got into other things...and now I find myself doing website things to the exclusion of my writing (or nearly so).

The lesson being that one not only has to do what one loves, but be prepared to find, hire, train etc others to do what you will not have time to do if you're to follow your dream.

Sandi

...trying to make a business out of what you love, that the fall is a hell of a lot more painful!

Trust me, I've done it, I know!

Cheers

Philip

I owned the most profitable dog training company in Los Angeles, for seven years.

By my third year in business, I was completely burnt out of it. Wasn't even fun, at all.

Good thing I didn't go into the **** business!


Get your dog to listen to you, anywhere you go!

Hi,

I'm not trying to be funny, what you said is totally true.

Best,

- Boyd