Getting Started in Business – The Passion
So what is your passion?
You are thinking of starting a business, what in? Do you have the spare time to get it off the ground? Can you afford to leave a regular income to focus on your goal? Will you have the support of your family and friends to pursue your star? All valid questions indeed, but do you have the passion it takes to succeed?
I can hear you. Passion? I don’t need passion – I just need an opportunity! I just need peace and quiet to be creative. I just need support to deal with the obstacles. …
My thesis is that you need passion beyond all else.
You need passion to decide to change career.
You need drive to commit to a business course, if you know nothing to begin with.
You need stamina to dedicate several hours a week to studying marketing techniques, pricing bands and to decide on a business identity and brand.
You need ruthless pigheadness to break through the defences and offences of your friends and family, who will put up obstacle after obstacle, much of it based on legitimate financial concerns.
You need get-up-and-go to overcome the endless nights poring over business plans.
You need more than courage to face that bank official, who may be the most discouraging and nit-picking person you will ever meet.
You need commitment when you are answering seemingly irrelevant queries from other businesses and following up potential leads (just in case).
You need staying power when it comes to attending regular networking events, whose subject may be of no interest to you and whose location may take you many kilometres away from home in the evenings.
You need verve to continue to write those proposals or marketing plans.
You need super-human effort to focus on the IRS or VAT office minutae.
You need creativity to design your product and confidence that it will appeal to your market.
With all of these requirements, you need to have an underlying passion. Ask yourself the following:
Do I want to change my career? Do I know I will be good at what I am considering? Do I have no real interest in what I am currently doing? Can I study, research on many mediums and write reports based on that which will eventually lead to a business plan? What is my commitment financially to this new venture? Can I convince others to support me emotionally and probably practically as I undertake it? Can I count on their help in various ways? Is my passion such that it will sustain through many contacts all of which must be followed up? Do I have the time and the transport facilities to get around to meet people, for any free training, help and networking that is available? Am I willing to pay attention to detail, from getting the right website designed, to having a quality product that I believe in?
If you can answer yes to a high percentage of the questions above, you are well on your way. I’m not saying that passion alone will provide success, but it is the branch from which the rest hang. Without it, give up and go home.
This post appeared first on LInked Business Strategists, for which Sensei Learning and Performance writes a weekly column on Business Start-up Strategies. You can join the forum and read other similar columns and blogs, by signing up as a user.
If we can help you get started, perhaps with some personal coaching to help you realise that goal, contact us to arrange a meeting. Maybe training is what you need? Our training is different. We don’t do off the shelf; we will consult with you on what you need and design a course around that. Or, do you need help with writing proposals, procedures, promotional materials, press releases? Check our website for further details… www.sensei-winbeforehand.co.uk.
Our current events are available here.
