There’s nothing like entering your man cave and getting your hands dirty with some extensive car repairs and modifications, beer brewing, robotics (or whatever your passion is), you name it! Yet, what would be even more awesome is getting paid for doing what you love.
According to Forbes, 70% of employees hate their jobs and are actively disengaged from work. Who can blame them, though, when many employers care only about their own profits! It’s no wonder then that so many people out there are looking to become their own bosses and do what they love doing most and doing it well (for a change)!
If you want to learn more about how you can do exactly that with your own passion, just keep on reading.
Figure out what drives you
Whether it’s photography, programming, painting, designing, writing, etc., everyone is good at something. Explore where your talents lie and figure out what motivates you, drives you forward; just remember to be honest with yourself. Dreaming of becoming an actor and actually having the talent for the same are two different things.
What’s more, you need to realize that once you turn your passion into a fully-fledged profession, it stops being just a hobby; it becomes a career. Meaning, it will require a lot more work and discipline than when it was a mere hobby you engaged in sporadically or during the weekends. So, make sure you are really passionate about it beforehand or you will burn yourself out rather quickly.
Hone your skills
Just having a passion for something simply won’t cut it; nobody is going to employ you if you aren’t good enough. In essence, you need to be considered a real pro at something to be hired often. As such, you need to work really hard day and night to hone your abilities and become better at what you do; just like you need to hit the gym at least a few times a week if you want to get buffed up.
Also, don’t stop the moment you accomplish your first set of goals; remember you are supposed to be a professional not a casual. There will always be things that could use some room for improvement before you can claim the grand title of master. As with anything else — practice makes perfect.
Get the proper tools
Since the dawn of time, men required proper tools to go hunting and effectively plow the land. Today, it’s no different. Without the appropriate hardware or software, you cannot hope to do business; no matter how much passion you have for it.
For instance, if you’re looking to break into the real estate scene, get some high-quality Rockend property management software to help you manage tenants, take care of rent, schedule inspections, deal with accounting, and more. That way you don’t have to hassle with those annoying, menial (repetitive) tasks and you can actually focus on doing what you enjoy about your work the most.
Start out small
Don’t expect to land any huge contracts from the very beginning. Instead, start out small and slowly build up your portfolio. Essentially, this will help you bring in new clients and establish your name on the market.
Additionally, don’t get overly greedy and accept every single gig that comes your way (all at once). Though the ‘extra’ profit sounds tempting, failing to complete your obligations to your client — or simply not meeting the deadlines — will put you in a bad spot, potentially ruining your already meager reputation. Fame and work will come with time; be patient.
Network with people inside your niche
The reasons why networking is absolutely vital for forging a successful career are twofold. First of all, you get to expand your reach on potential clients and customers that want to do business with you. Secondly, you get a chance to collaborate with other professionals within your industry and learn something from them just by listening and observing.
Both of these are crucial for keeping up with all the latest trends and crazes out there. Interacting with your followers (and potential customers) will give a good idea of what they want and connecting with other professionals of your particular niche will help your business stay relevant for years to come.
Market yourself
Last but not least, you need to really get yourself out there to kickstart your career and get it off the ground; you can’t expect to have deals pouring in from all sides if nobody knows you even exist. Therefore, set a few hours each day and work on promoting your business.
At first, you don’t have to make any major investments; a simple social media profile (on a platform of your choice) will suffice. Once you build up your fanbase and have a steady stream of new followers you can start working on building your very own website. This will essentially act as your main business hub where you can post client reviews and present your work to prospective customers.
Protip: Create a blog as well to accompany your landing page. This will significantly improve your SEO and marketing efforts and bring in a larger crowd.
In the end, it’s all about motivation. Think of what sparked your passion in the first place and reaffirm that initial sense of excitement; always keep your goals in plain sight to drive yourself forward.
