Education Advice

Learning From Your Passions

I had a request for Education Advice that was a little different spin than I have been doing in previous articles: “How to find your passion and turn that passion into a career.” My initial response was, “How do I do that in five paragraphs?” For me, my passions were self-evident, I never had to “find” them: I have always wanted to tell my stories, even before I could write. So my second response: “Challenge accepted.” What follows (which is a bit more than five paragraphs) taps into another facet of my career: 20-odd years as a business consultant.

There are a lot of articles out there that offer a lot of advice about finding your passion, some good, some not helpful at all, some that are pretty confusing or even misleading. There are also some online tests that can be taken for free, others for fees, others for free but the full report is for a fee. I’m including a link to one of the last type, because the questions were more interesting than the others I took in researching this article: CareerFitter

I’m not saying it’s the ultimate answer, but what it provided for free was more accurate than anything else I tried, which was ... spooky. The test did not tell me anything new, but that does not mean that it would not for you. Even then, what do you do with it? Good question.

Identify Your Passions

I have said it in just about every Education Advice: learning is a lifelong endeavor. It is fulfilling and rewarding. So look at yourself. Take some time to reflect on your Interests, Values, Strengths, and Skills. What kinds of things are you doing when you lose track of time? What charities or social causes give you a genuine sense of satisfaction when you take part? Make a list. Answering these questions can give you a better sense of what brings you true joy. This is important because, if you are in a job that you hate, it doesn’t matter how much money you make, it’s not worth it. There’s also a more practical reason: if you are doing work that you are not passionate about then you won’t be putting forth your best effort.

Do Your Homework

Next, take your answers to those questions and do some research. What industries include elements of those things you identified? You might be surprised. The sense of satisfaction might also come from an unanticipated direction. I enjoy riddles, puzzles, and brain teasers. When I accepted a position as a proposal writer, I had no idea that I would be doing exactly that. The government entities issuing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) often got so many proposals submitted that they deliberately included goofy requirements just for an excuse to eliminate applicants and thin the herd. I figured this out pretty quickly and came to really enjoy looking for those pitfalls. As a result, my predecessor wrote proposals resulting in $5 million in contracts of three years; I wrote proposals resulting in an average of $1 million a month.

If you can’t find another employer doing what you want, then you may have to start a new business. People do it every day, identifying new business ideas based on their passions. What they don’t do every day is identify a business that can be validated. So, once again, do some research, specifically market research. Is there a demand for the product or service that fits in with your passion? Does it have a target audience? Is there competition in that market? What’s already available? What gaps in the market can you fill? (For example, The Food Network identified a very specific gap in the TV market.) What business models might work with your passion-business? Not only is it important to know the answers to these questions, but these are key sections of a business plan. What else? Create a company name. Google it to make sure that it isn’t being used by anyone else. How will you leverage social media to attract new customers? Develop a referral program to encourage their current clients to refer more customers to them. These steps are just a few to starting a business (there are many), but provide a good framework for how to get started. Now, did I say business plan?

Write a Business Plan

Outline the business idea, the target market, the competition, the pricing strategy, the marketing plan, the production plan, and the financial projections. All of this creates a roadmap for the future of your passion-business. It will help you stay focused on your goals, because it is very easy to lose focus, particularly if things start becoming successful.

Write a Marketing Plan

Outline the overall marketing strategy. It will range from designing a logo and creating a Web site to developing a consistent brand message that reflects your values and passion and resonates with your target audience. I am amazed that clients still ask if they should have a Web site. The answer is always yes. There was once a time when, in order to legitimize your business, you had to be listed in the Yellow Pages. In today’s business climate, you have to have a Web site. That said, creative, professional marketing can help you stand out from the competition and attract new customers. What does that result in? More sales. Creative, unprofessional marketing with poor grammar, typos, poor design, etc., can ruin your first impression with a potential customer. That opportunity is lost forever. If you have the skills to do all this yourself, great! If you do not, then you need to fill in the skill gaps.

Fill In Skill Gaps

When developing your production plan (or service plan) and/or your marketing plan, you may find that you do not have all the necessary skills. The easiest step is to hire people with those skills. However, that is expensive, aside from difficult. What is the single biggest reason people leave a job? Personality conflict. So, to avoid going down that road too soon, you might want to acquire the necessary skills or knowledge needed to be successful. Maybe you should take some courses or attend workshops or seek a mentor to help you enhance your expertise in those areas. If you can’t find (or afford) those, but there are nonprofits in your passion area, volunteer. This will help you gain experience and, often, acquire a mentor.

Start Small

Don’t be afraid to start small. As a business consultant, I was astonished by how often clients thought they had to go big as soon as possible. Remember what I said about hiring and personality conflict? Going big requires going down that road. Why not start small, doing as much of the work yourself, so you can become a master of your craft? I would strongly advise being as good at your passions as you can. Study it. Live and breathe it. Beyond that, if you start small, you can continue working your current job. This allows you to not only test the waters and learn your craft, but it reduces the financial risk and – just as importantly – allows you to make mistakes. Everyone makes them and, as long as you learn from them, then they are worthwhile. This also allows you to make them without suffering as much damage.

Network, Network, Network!

The communication field invented networking. When I was getting my bachelors, this was the new buzzword that no one understood. What does it mean? Make contact with people who have similar interests and goals, potential mentors and advisors, and valuable partners. These partnerships can help attract even more customers. Connect with people who can help you achieve your goals, such as finding clients, collaborating on projects, or getting advice. It may be a cliché, but it’s still true: it’s often not what you know, but who you know that makes the difference.

Adapt

Despite all that about the business plan, it is still important to adapt. You did a lot of research. You had the technology. You had the knowledge. What if it was the wrong knowledge? What if it was the wrong technology? Or what if something new comes along? I had to reinvent my consulting business four times over 20-odd years. The highest point was when my business partner and I focused on communication consulting. All of these new communication technologies came out pretty much all at once: cell phones, instant messaging, Worldwide Web, etc. People were feeling overwhelmed. We helped businesses determine which ones they used the most and focus there, minimizing the others, so they could see through the Communication Fog. Our ace in the hole was audioconferencing, helping them save money on travel by using audioconferencing through one of our business partners. Then long-distance calling became free on cell phones. Then audioconferencing became a feature on cell phones, included for free. Our most successful service was totally and completely unnecessary, practically overnight. That required yet another major pivot. It’s not easy, not by any means, but it’s necessary. You may not have such dramatic events forcing you to change your business, it might be as simple as learning from customer feedback to continuously improving your products or services.

Manage Your Finances

Effective financial management is essential for any business, regardless of size. Enough said.

Stay Committed and Endure

Like so many things, starting and running a business is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time, it takes effort, and it takes endless endurance. I have been self-employed since 1996. It overlapped with other traditional employment off and on, but it comes with a certain level of commitment. Remain committed to pursuing your goals and be willing to overcome challenges along the way. For one thing, when you’re self-employed, you are never off the clock. For another, you have to be ready to market yourself (your business) at all times.

Seek Professional Advice

This might sound self-serving, considering that I still do some business consulting, but be open to consulting with business advisors, mentors, or consultants who can offer expert advice. (Did I just walk the walk?)

Transforming your passion into a career requires dedication, hard work, and risk. There are no guarantees. These plans can help smooth the road, but it takes years (an average of five) to launch a successful business. If you are going to be spending that much time building something, it better be something you are passionate about.

W.D. Kilpack III: Official Web Site