I’m no consultant, but from time to time (as in, several times a day) people ask for my opinion about building some kind of online business. I’m happy to give $0.02 for whatever it’s worth, and I’m sure there are times when it’s not worth more than that.
How can you do something you love and make a good living from it? Much of my Unconventional Guides business is devoted to answering this question in one way or another. And as discussed before, often when we ask for advice, we don’t really want advice—we want someone to say “That’s great! Go for it!”
But when people really want advice about building a business out of something they love, there are a few principles that are fairly universal. Starting with…
Not everything you love makes a good business.
In fact, most things you love don’t really make a good business. This is probably the most common misconception of the entire “follow your passion” concept: you love watersports, or crafting, or traveling, for example. So why not build a business around it and do what you love all the time?
There are actually several reasons why this isn’t always a good idea, one of which is that you might not like everything that goes along with running a business as much as you like the actual activity. Sure, you like traveling… but how much do you want to work while you’re traveling? Do you like the business of crafting or just the crafting itself?
Second, not everything you do is commercially viable. Chances are, no one will pay money to watch you go surfing, and this brings us to the next point…
What you love must be relevant to other people.
Whoever your prospects, customers, or clients are, they have to identify with what you do and believe it can be possible for them as well. That’s why you work to find the magic convergence between your passions and what customers will pay for. (I go on and on about this in my business work—if you have the Empire Building Kit, I’m sorry for repeating myself. But, I repeat myself: you have to meet a clear need or solve a real problem for the people who pay you. This is critical!)
In fact, the more you can focus on other people’s needs and understand how they overlap with a skill you enjoy sharing, that’s where the real follow-your-passion model gains potential.
Often you won’t get paid for the obvious thing, but something related.
To get paid for what you love, you must inspire, educate, or entertain—preferably at least two of the three. But one way or another, you’ll get paid for helping people, not just being awesome. As much fun as it is, I don’t get paid to travel. I get paid because of a business I’ve built that helps other people; it has very little to do with my actual travel.
Sometimes it helps to separate the business model from your passions, even if the two are ultimately correlated. The main question you have to answer for the business model is: “What will customers actually pay me for?” It probably isn’t surfing or travel, unless you’re teaching people to go surfing or travel.
Instead of “breaking in” somewhere, create your own market.
Freelance writing is a good example. As far as I can tell, supporting yourself as a freelance writer under the traditional system is effectively dead. Business Week, CNN, Psychology Today, and the Huffington Post all pay me a grand total of $0 for the articles they post with my byline. And it’s only worth it to me because I’ve built my own platform at AONC and UnconventionalGuides.com. Without that platform, I’d literally be working for free.
So don’t worry about breaking in; figure out what you can do that no one else is doing, or at least how you can do it in a different way than everyone else is doing. You can waste a lot of time trying to get into an existing system, or you can put the time to good use and build your own system. (Ironically, when you do the latter, it becomes easier to break in to the original system as you go along.)
Keep startup costs very low.
Someone asked me the other day, “If you had $1,000 to start over with my business, how would you spend it?” I said I would get a $10 domain name, a free WordPress installation, and a PayPal account. Then I would set up a one-page site and see what I could do with it. If it looked promising, there are plenty of things I could spend the remaining $990 on (I’d probably start with design). But the point is, I would first make sure I had some kind of viable idea.
If you can start something without spending a lot of money, that’s best. If you have to invest some amount of money, that’s OK too. But the worst thing you can do is spend a lot of money and do nothing. Don’t do that!
Find a way to make it work just a little.
In Louisville, Kentucky I talked with Nick, who told me about a small photography business he wanted to start. A few weeks later, I saw him again in Charleston, West Virginia, and this time he had an update: “I sold a print for $50!” he said with great enthusiasm. And I knew exactly why Nick was so excited—he wasn’t going to cash it in and retire on one $50 sale, but it was very empowering to get paid for something he loved to do.
When it comes to a lifestyle business, a little momentum goes a long way. The sooner you can get paid, even a small amount or a one-time sale, the better.
***
The greatest benefit of a lifestyle business is freedom. But usually we find that freedom does not just appear out of nowhere; it requires a shift in mindset and the corresponding action. It also sometimes requires a surprising amount of work to maintain. (If you love something, you have to protect it.)
These disclaimers are not meant to dissuade anyone. Overall, I think this is a fantastic time to start a business and find a way to get paid for what you love to do. Don’t hold back! Just make sure you head off in the right direction. As I see it, the right direction begins with taking action, like Nick did with his $50 print sale.
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Image: The Wolf
November 12, 2010
Steven
Chris, I love your commonsense. You make business sound really simple (and possible!), but you take out all the glitz and glamor. I really appreciate it. One of the things that has been so tough for me is “creating my own market.” It’s tough because so many people talk about finding that niche but my mind is always going haywire with ideas. I think I need to just let myself go wild and stop looking for a box to fit in. Once the storm subsides then I’ll have a clear path.
Thank you!
November 13, 2010
Jorgen Sundberg
I know it’s lame but just wanted to say GREAT POST
November 13, 2010
Hugh
What a refreshing break from the “do what you love and the money will follow” adage. I don’t disagree with that statement, but when you’ve got bills to pay, sometimes you need to be more practical, at least to start off. For instance, without getting into specifics, my ultimate goal is Business A, which I’m working on, but my more immediate attention is devoted toward Business B, which will be profitable more quickly and thus supply me with an income while I continue to work on A.
November 13, 2010
Alli
Love your tips! I would add too them “Do your research.” For example, if someone is really passionate about freelance writing, you can make money that way (I do!), but it takes research to figure out the best ways to make money in that industry. I’m sometimes astounded when people quit their jobs to be freelancers but have no idea what to do next! I think that’s true whatever your passions may be – before you close your eyes and jump, do a little research to find out how people are making money currently, what has been done in the past that isn’t working anymore, and where there is a need you can fill.
November 14, 2010
Sue Bates
I’m moving from Mostly doing Therapy to Consulting so I can travel the world, and what is interesting is I am getting quite a few people in therapy that want to have their own biz. Really like the point that everything you do won’t make money. This is quite a movement, the working form anywhere, I often wonder how all this is going to grow and change:) hummm.
November 14, 2010
Carl Creasman
Keep up the good thoughts Chris. Nice balance between utopian thoughts of “following my passions” and pragmatic thoughts of making sure the passion will pay some bills.
November 15, 2010
Wyman
As I read Chris’s posts I have to have a sheet of paper in front of me to write down ideas as they come.
I read Saya making a list of things she liked to do that she has incorporated into her business. I had just started a list of everything most people do every day. May next step is to brainstorm each activity for possible business opportunities. This is great material for some posts on my business blog.
Getting an opt-in box on the blog has prevented me from moving forward. I am going to start blogging anyway while I solve the technical stuff.
November 17, 2010
Jaive
Hi Chris. Luv this post. Sitting in this room with the tropical heat and reading this post is like listening to someone playing a beautiful old song on a quiet night. Thanks.
I live in a third world country and opportunities sometimes seem slim. Recently, I quit my relatively high paying job ( in US Dollars i would be earning $13,000 per annum).
I got tired of the lack of meaning in my life. Instead now i write about things that interest me including my country. And i am earning an income from it. I think a business model should be about a meaning in your life. Money helps, but it doesn’t buy happiness. I dont think I am creating my own market and trying to dominate it. I’m just doing something small that i believe is a good thing and brings meaning back to my life. And i do believe that i will get ‘paid’ for it, whether its in some coins or with a new freindship or a new experience etc, i will be Ok. Thanks Chris. Keep Rockin!!!
November 23, 2010
Adam
I love your story about Nick! You’re dead on with what a little momentum can do for you.
I had tried my hand at affiliate marketing for months and never saw more than the occasional $0.15 click from Adsense. I fought through the disappointment, frustration and people telling me I was wasting my time though.
I started up a new site and approached things from a new perspective. I made a sale a couple days after the site was up and even though the commission was only $9, you would have thought I hit the lotto! That $9 and the $150 I made that month inspired me to keep going.
It’s always nice when the universe gives you proof that what you’re doing is going to work.
December 4, 2010
Natalie
If freedom were so easy to get in work and life then everyone would choose to have it.
That’s why I love that you have to work hard to protect your freedom as you say Chris and more importantly develop the mindset that will ensure you receive it.
I find too often people just don’t know what freedom looks like to them so can’t go after it.
For me it’s traveling the world, living out of my suitcase and running my business from anywhere, to others it may just be the ability to take a few hours off during the day.
Whatever form it takes it’s truly the only life worth living.
Natalie
December 31, 2010
Bernice Rechkemmer
Who knows what happens next… All I know is:
Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.
March 31, 2011
Joshua
Great, great article and responses here. I really needed this inspiration today, I have my own web sight for my acoustic music. I LOVE my own music, I love to play it, I love to post up new songs, I love people visiting my sight and leaving me encouraging comments, I love all the mixing, recording, writing the lyrics, naming the song, I love everything about it. But sometimes I think I really wrote something good and become a little let down when I don’t receive the response I thought I was going to. Then the journey of self-discovery begins all over again. I’m getting ready to sell everything I do to Itunes and amazon for a very reasonable price that I pay once a year, and it has me learning everything I can in order for me to present my music the best that I’m able to do. It’s artistic creation to the nth degree, and in the meantime I’m really learning the audio engineering aspect of the ordeal, which could mean future opportunities in that area as well for making money.
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