Beverlee Rasmussen CEC PCC Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life. Or is it “do what you love and you’ll turn it into a life-sucking chore”?
A bit dramatic? Maybe. The idea of turning passion into profit can be exciting for some, and for others… not so much. Perhaps the idea of financially benefiting from your hobbies goes against your values or there’s a fear that what you love to do will lose its spark.
So how can you turn passion into profit without losing your sense of self or the joy that comes from doing what you love?
You can infuse two things into your journey: systems and values. These two things can help you align your company with your passion while making a profit you feel good about.
Systems
Every action that is currently happening in your organization – either as planned or as decided by the individuals who do them –are systems.
When you document and organize your systems, you can structure what’s happening in your business and influence HOW things are being done. Essentially, you are documenting and providing “how-to’s” for yourself and your team.
Systematization makes expectations and processes clear. When everyone on the team knows what they are doing and why they are doing it, they start performing better and there’s less tension between the team. Systems also create clear communication with vendors, suppliers or contractors.
Many small business owners feel trapped by their company. Systems make it so you can leverage what you know and structure your business so it’s not reliant on you anymore. It’s a path to personal freedom.
Systems allow you to do the jobs you love and delegate the rest. This way you can keep pursuing your passion while your company runs independently of you. Plus you’ll own a business that has a positive impact on your employees and your community.
Values
Since you are the one building your business, you get to make it however you want. You can set up your systems to support your values.
Core values are often referred to as the “why” of what you do.
The very decision to start or accept the responsibility of building and running a company is closely tied to your personal values— what you find important, meaningful and appropriate.
Values reflect an individual’s or organization’s sense of right and wrong. It answers the question, what are we contributing?
Core values are timeless and rarely change. It isn’t what your company sells, or even how you go about it, it is why you do it. Ask yourself, when and how do my values show up in my organization?
If you are not feeling the love for your company, you may want to revisit your values and realign priorities and processes to better reflect the values you hold most.
Maybe you cringe when you think about turning your passion into profit. You can turn that gut feeling around by aligning your business with your values. It feels good to contribute to the world, and if you’re making money at the same time…that’s okay.
It’s okay to benefit from what you’re doing. If you practice generosity and earn more money as a result, that just creates a loop where you can be even more generous. When you justify benefiting from your business, you can focus on increasing your giving as your business grows. The more wealth you accumulate, the more you can give.
Building a better world
What do you think? Are you ready to turn your passion into profit, while creating a business that supports you and the world for the better?
Small business owners are the most generous people on the planet. When they do well, the entire community benefits. New jobs are created, charities are supported and families grow strong. The goal of selling is to make money. With money, you have the freedom and power to contribute more generously to your own and others’ lives.
