I received this comment on my last blog post:
“Passion is the final piece of the puzzle. Without passion, none of the ideas you come up with will work as you won’t put the time in! I imagine it’ll take a huge chunk of your life in starting up. If you don’t care for what you do, you’ll drop it and find another employee job! I say keep dreaming till the one you’re passionate about overtakes and consumes your mind. Then do that!”
I actually have put a lot of time into thinking about the subject of passion. I just haven’t posted about it yet. I think about the balance of passion vs. the viability of the business idea. In my first post, I mentioned a friend of mine who mad oodles of money, assembling lamps from components made in China. I seriously doubt he was passionate about Chinese made lamps. But, he made a bunch of money assembling & selling them. He saw an opportunity, and he seized it.
My passion is Permaculture. What is Permaculture, you might ask? Now, this particular post cannot be an in-depth look at Permaculture. Entire books have been written about the subject. I can, however, present a thumbnail sketch, so you can be familiar with the concept.
Tim,
Long term sustainability is absolutely essential. My family plants fruit/nut trees, berries, and vegetables wherever we go. Yes, even us useless Millennials all have gardens that we tend. We may not have flower beds and immaculate grass, but our food bills are lower than most others.
What is my passion? I don’t know. I’m a chemist by trade, not by calling. I don’t think I’ve found it yet.
I like writing, though I’m not particular passionate about it. Thankfully I’m young, I’m sure I’ll figure it out someday 🙂
Tim, lost in that ramble is an absolutely doable business. But it’s not the one you think. Keep sniffing. A lot of what you need to figure out, you need to figure out. Concentrate on the numbers. You mention your friend with the Chinese lamps, and dismiss his mindset. I’ve never met a man who didn’t get real exited about whatever started making him real money. Want to make 100 grand a year? You may have to gross four or five hundred. Think big, you can always think smaller later.