How To Transform Your Passion Into Your Profit
By Shana Lynn Yao
Do what you love. You've heard it before and to many, it seems like a dream. Of course you want to do what you love, but - ahem - you have bills to pay, a family to support, and well, a life to live. You're busy, I get it. And yes, you have to be able to make money - super important. But with everyone from Elon Musk to Oprah saying that in fact doing what you love is the secret to success, how could that be wrong?
Everyday (literally everyday) when I meet people I always ask what they do for a living. When they tell me they usually follow up with a "what I REALLY want to do is to _____."
As a business strategist who helps entrepreneurs build their business based on their expertise, life experience and passion - I can't help but push further. What are you doing to make that dream come true? What are your short and long term goals? How can you make that a reality instead of a dream?
The truth is, most people don't end up doing what they love for a living - not because it's not possible - but because they aren't actually trying to.
I can hear you now - "Yes I am - but I have bills to pay." "I'm working on it." "Someday."
But reality and actions define your results - and if you aren't actually taking deliberate and measurable steps with a plan that has an end goal, you actually aren't doing things that will get you to your goal.
Trust me, I get you way more than you know. Since day one of my business, despite helping my clients transform their passions into their profit generating business, and despite saying since day one that I would be bored out of my mind if all I talked about all day was business - I woke up 3 years later and all I was talking about was business.
Where had my own passions gone? My love of helping people find their personal style, fashion, and holistic health? As I watched my clients making money doing what they loved - literally surfing on the beaches of Cabo San Lucas for a living, creating holistic products, living their dreams, there I was NOT living mine.
And the worst part is, the more unhappy I became, the LESS money I made.
Combining Your Expertise With Your Passion
“A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
If you really want to do what you love and you are not now, it's time to get clear. Because just as what happened to me when I realized I was not living my passion, you can't afford NOT to. The reality is, making money doing anything is the result of clear and focused actions, the ability to monetize your plan, and actually committing to the plan.
You see, Oprah isn't just talking a lot of fluff. The reality is, failure as an entrepreneur is inevitable. Ouch, that hurt, but it's the truth. Being an entrepreneur requires you to do things that you have never done before. You may think you are taking the safe route by relying on your expertise alone to make money - but what about the money you aren't making? Could not doing what you love be keeping you from actually making more? Could it be preventing you from new opportunities, new clients and a new energy from inside of you?
I look at it this way - it takes just as much guts, courage and energy to build a business and make money doing what you love as it does (and probably more) to do something that feels stuck, tedious, and hard.
Need proof that it works? I look to myself - because after getting clear that I needed to change what I was doing in my business to include my passions of fashion, personal style, and holistic health - I TRIPLED my Instagram following, grew my own tribe, am getting clearer skin, and well, I'm actually HAPPY.
And the funny thing is - you actually don't have to change everything - because in fact, your expertise IS how you make money. If your business is positioned correctly, what you do in your business is based on actual monetizable skills. Where your passion comes in is your marketing strategy. Yes, marketing is actually part of your moneycode.
The first steps to get started transforming your passion into your profitable business begins... with a plan. Yes, you need an actual plan. A plan will help you:
1. Get a clear focus on what your business and marketing is about
2. You create a solid, actionable idea of what you need to do to create your positioning in your business, your marketing and how you’re going to get to where you want to be.
The Actionable Plan Step By Step
The answers are in your questions - you've heard it before and now it's time to apply it.
1. What is your brand's vibe?
2. What is your specific purpose of your business?
3. Who are the clients you WANT to work with? Who is your tribe?
4. What makes your brand stand out?
1. What is your marketing going to consist of?
2. What will you do everyday to make that happen?
3. What does your schedule look like?
4. How will you incorporate your passion to promote your business? (get creative! Remember your ideal clients are just like you)
1. What do you need / want to learn to make your business work?
2. What are your one year goals?
3. What are your 3 month goals?
4. What small steps do you need to take to achieve your three month goals
1. What is your personal brand aesthetic/ style?
2. Who are your competitors and how are you different?
Wrapping It All Up
Overall, your plan should lead you to this one final questions - how are you going to measure your success?
Combining your passion with your expertise and transforming it into your profit is simple in theory but not necessarily easy. It takes dedication and commitment, A LOT of guts, and a spirit that isn't willing to settle or break.
You CAN transform your passion into a business you love - and if Oprah, JK Rowling, Gabrielle Bernstein - whoever your business muses are, I'm here as living proof and I can't recommend it enough.
So I want to ask you - what are your next steps to transform your passion into your profit generating business you love? Tell me in the comments below and if I can help you, let's chat! It's time for you to start living your best badass business and life.
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