Don’t Build a Business That Bores You
I used to sit in meetings and listen to a partner I worked with tell clients how “passionate” we were about some really tedious work. I almost choked every time he said it. I was not passionate about it at ALL. That wasn’t my function on the team anyway, but I couldn’t even imagine how someone could be passionate about that topic. It just wasn’t my thing. There were parts of my job that I was passionate about. Building my team. Helping my clients. Solving problems. The wonderful thing about that partner was that he had built that business and he truly was passionate about it. And that’s perfect. You have to build a business based on something you are passionate about, because it is way too much effort for anything you feel lukewarm about.
This is why a lot of people struggle to feel like their jobs are fulfilling. They aren’t connected to the Why. The mission. Their jobs are a means to an end – getting paid. Which is a wonderful thing to have happen. Getting paid is great! But it can begin to feel like you are selling your soul or having the lifeblood drained from you.
When you are building your own business, it is crucial to build one that you actually like. And the scary part it is – you’re going to have to tell people what you really want to do. That doesn’t seem scary until you try it. Particularly when everyone you know from your old career is still doing the same thing. It looks crazy to everyone around you, which means you have opened yourself up to mocking, judgement, ridicule. And not just related to anything – but to your life’s purpose. That’s big stuff.
I love the story of a fellow St. Louisan, Brian Pelletier, who left his successful career in marketing to be a chocolatier. Seriously – I try to imagine what his friends and coworkers and family said to him (and about him when he wasn’t around). But his chocolate store, Kakao, and the amazingly delicious chocolate he makes, is possibly one of my favorite stores ever.
I love to help people build their businesses and figure out ways to make their careers and families work better together. Leaving a career in data analytics to do that inspired one of my former clients to ask “Has Jan’s cheese slipped off her cracker?” Lol! See what I mean? That’s not necessarily supportive. But that’s ok. Not everyone has to be supportive. They are not living your life. You have to believe in yourself – that you can do whatever you decide to do. Then, you’ll be just fine.
I’m not sure about crackers and cheese (and their relative position to one another), but I do know that working on something you truly care about
– that you see a purpose for in the world
– that you know you have the skills and talents to do well
– that you are passionate about.
That kind of work barely feels like work, so building a business doing it is not drudgery or soul-sucking. It’s fun and rewarding and hard and exciting and scary. But it’s not boring. It’s all the things life is supposed to be.