STEP 1 - IDENTIFYING YOUR PASSION

Have you identified your passion? I ask this simple question because so many of us go through life with little awareness of what actually drives us. Or, if we do know what that passion might be, we ignore it because we’re afraid others might make fun of us or discourage us.

But what if I told you that understanding what makes you tick is a key to becoming a successful entrepreneur? Would you acknowledge this part of yourself?

You should.

Think you’re too old or it’s too late to find your passion? Colonel Harland Sanders was 65 when he hit his stride with his company, Kentucky Fried Chicken. Today, KFC franchises can be found in over 125 countries and territories across the world.

Are you worried it would take too long for your passion to transform into a successful venture? Then, consider this remarkable reality. Have you heard of Jesus Christ? Yes, the son of God who is worshipped by Christians. What many don’t realize is that only three years passed between when he began his ministry and when he died on the cross. You read that right, Only Three years!. Jesus turned the religious community upside down in his time and that revolution is still felt centuries later.

While we mere mortals could never claim to be like Christ, the point of mentioning his accomplishment was to show that time shouldn’t be a deterrent if you have a passion.

Many of us have multiple passions and though I hate to admit it, not every passion will lead you to successful entrepreneurship. However, there is one key factor that is common to passions that trigger business success. Specifically,your passion must be one which solves someone else’s pain whereby they are ready to pay you IMMEDIATELY. This, when combined with drive and persistence, will distinguish your stellar business concept from the many other ideas floating out there. It will elevate yours from those that will never prove profitable.

For me, I nailed my passion down to three primary areas:

• Business Solutions: Hence I love my work as a Management Consultant/Solutions Architect. I especially love those challenges where I’m forced to craft creative and cost-effective solutions. Even during my most trying experiences as a Business Analyst, I managed to learn many things. I've witnessed projects struggle due to poor execution of tactical or strategic goals. I’ve seen instances where management failed to effectively communicate its vision to the rest of the organization—despite my advice and efforts. Still, each challenge presented a wealth of education and skills that I applied in later situations. One thing was clear to me, my creator never makes mistakes and that my “steps in life are ordered.” And so through the journey, I always asked myself, “What should I learn from this process?”
  

• Real Estate Investing: My second passion is gradually becoming my first. I started investing in real estate in my twenties. I experienced many triumphs but also endured several mistakes. The latter didn’t scare me off because I realized how much I enjoyed real estate investing. Fast forward to two decades later and I continue to acquire real estate and serve my community while doing so. Nothing compares to the positive and in some cases the constructive feedback/reviews from guests. It brightens my entire day, because I see an opportunity to improve and "up my game". Outside of the service aspect, real estate investing provides reliable residual income that can be leveraged into other investments. While real estate may not be the path for you, keep in mind that over 50% of the people included in Forbes annual billionaires list, made their fortunes from real estate. Food for thought, if that is important to you.
  

• Creating Self-Sufficient Communities: There are talented and industrious people across the world whose only crime is that they weren’t born in a country where they could transform lives or impact their communities. With access to information, such individuals can achieve remarkable things. I am compelled to contribute to the sharing and transfer of information between people, regardless of borders. Thanks to modern technology, we have the means to do just that and by sharing knowledge, the underprivileged will achieve economic independence. This passion of mine, brings to the fore front, my quest as a ‘Social Entrepreneur’ that encourages community growth through enterprise, and not handouts. The world’s problems are solvable via the sharing of know-how. The key goal is to create a structure to share this in a mutually beneficial manner.
  

Looking at my passions, are you able to pinpoint a few of yours?