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Finding the Passion

By Tash Hughes of Save Time Online

 For whatever reason, you think that starting your own business is a good idea for you at this time. And the truth is that small business is a growing industry in itself.

Of course, you need a product or service to market in order to make money. And hopefully it’s one you like and are proud of, as you need to be passionate about your business for it to succeed and last the distance.

But what if you’re not sure about what sort of business to start, or can’t determine what sort of things you can be passionate about?

Why be passionate?

By being passionate about your business and what it offers, you will be enthusiastic and encourage customers to deal with you. Your genuine feel for the products and services will come through in your voice and actions, and customers will appreciate that – and develop a trust in you.

Running a business can be hard, tiring work as well as satisfying and rewarding. What will keep you going during the long hours in quiet periods? Or when things seem to be against you?

The answer is that a passion for your business and products/services will give you the determination and energy to cope with the down times.

Without passion, running your business will become a chore and probably no better than the job you left in the first place. Passion about your business makes the unpleasant tasks bearable and keeps you coming back to the main tasks with a smile in your heart.

What am I passionate about?

It’s very easy to say “I’ll start a business and I need to be passionate about it,” but it’s not always so easy to know what it is you’re passionate about.

To help determine your passions and potential business options, consider some of the following points:

What do friends and family ask you to do for them? Maybe you are the one they turn to for mending clothes or toys, fixing their car, doing their make up for special occasions, selecting a gift or book, advice on cooking problems or decorating for a party.

What were your favourite activities as a child and teenager?

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? Guess what, you’re grown up now and need to take action of you are to achieve such dreams. Of course, a dream to be a mermaid or a dragon may not be achievable still! But maybe you could make mermaids or paint dragons?

Ask what your neighbours and friends what they are passionate about to spark your ideas.

Look for common problems around you and think of a solution for one. For instance, people had a problem with retyping pages of work so liquid paper was invented and helped many people. If you are having trouble finding problems, ask around; people aren’t shy about their complaints and big problems!

Consider what you spend much of your time doing and how it can be turned into a niche market for you. If you go shopping regularly, maybe you could be a shopping tour guide, personal shopper or write a guide on good shops in your area. If you are keen on train sets, maybe you could make some, sell some or advice people on appropriate models and sets as gifts for others, or even set up a train museum to share your collection.

When you volunteer to help at your club or the local school, etc, what jobs do you offer to do? Which of their tasks do you prefer? List all the places you have volunteered and helped at – is there a common theme to them?

 What about qualifications?

 Often people are passionate about an idea, but consider them selves unqualified to run a business based on that idea.

 Obviously, there are businesses that require qualifications – don’t set up a medical practise or accountancy firm without appropriate training and accreditation, for instance. However, there are many more areas where qualifications aren’t necessary.

 Passion and belief can be more effective than experience in many cases – would you buy a gadget from the enthusiastic person who shows the benefits, or the jaded marketing whiz who sees it as a means to an end?

 Once you have an idea and passion, maybe you can follow up on gaining some qualifications. There are many short courses and community centres on offer that may give insights into your idea, or on the business skills behind a business.

 If qualifications are mandatory and unachievable for you in the short to medium term, look at your idea from different perspectives. Can you find a related idea that also inspires passion in you? Your lack of a science degree may prevent you from working in a lab, but your analytical skills could carry out online research about science topics or maybe you could devise some organisational and managerial systems for labs to use. Instead of being a trained teacher, perhaps you could become a teacher’s aide with less training or a tutor in your knowledge area.

If you find the passion, all the hurdles will become challenges to overcome; without passion, they become problems too hard to manage.

 Never assume you have no relevant experience and knowledge. Many skills are translatable between jobs and fields, so previous life experiences will help with the new venture even if they seem to be worlds apart.

  Tash Hughes is the owner of Word Constructions and is available to solve all your business writing problems! From letters to policies, newsletters to web content, Word Constructions writes all business documents to your style and satisfaction

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