This morning I read an article on VentureBeat called “Why following your passion is bad for business“. Even though the article had something to it that I see as helpful advice to some of the most blue-eyed and naive entrepreneurs out there, I think for the rest of us, it’s quite misleading. Basically, because it doesn’t seem to take into consideration the background and creativity that drives a lot of entrepreneurs. I think the whole “you shouldn’t go into the music business if you’re passionate about music” or “don’t do a sports startup because you’re passionate about sports” – that the article states, is kind of obvious. However enough about the article, here’s my personal brand (and hence a large part of my business) approach to it.
Use your passion to define you
My background is in marketing, online marketing and online communities, I have done a lot of awesome stuff in the past, but it was first when I started to implement rockn’roll as a part of my business that the rockn’roll chick brand came along – it wasn’t intentional, suddently all of the danish business community was calling me “rock chick” and “rock mama”. Anyway I paralleled “rockbandism” with company structures, I paralleled the CEO as the front singer, COO as the drummer and the strategist was, of course, the bassplayer avec mystique. It has only been because of my specific creative background and my passion for music, that could have gotten me on this path (and publish business rockn’roll freebies: my first publication was an e-book entitled “why every company should be a rockband“, that since became the core of my book return on involvement and several other publications and products around business rockn’roll as well. See, I am not in the music industry, but I’m in the business rockn’roll industry – inspiring what i call business rockers just as me, that are thinking “god this is boring, there need to be another way of doing this”. An industry of one person that I defined myself =) And frankly if I didn’t have rockn’roll to hold onto I don’t know if I would still be in the middle of this.. well social media shenanigan going on. I hate doing mainstream things, and rockn’roll gives me that crazy cool edge that I need to keep going. And by the look of it, there’s a lot of people out there just like me=)
Use your passion to get the core of your business further
If you’re passionate about sports, I would use that passion to get the core of my business further, use sports metaphors to explain problems to your co-workers and clients, and be defined by that passion. Be the “consultancy that are totally into sport” be the “startup that does productivity apps with a twist of sports”. Publish content that is called ” 5 reason why you can be just as good in your field as David Beckham is at playing football”.
Differentiation is everything – and passion is a huge part of differentiation.
Don’t kill your passion, follow it and implement it into your background and business. Don’t be blue-eyed and naive and do yet-another-photosharing app. Do a photosharing app with a cool twist of your background, passion and vision and take it to the next level Work your business but do it with a twist of what is cool to you.
breathe out=)