It’s Time to Monetize Your Passion, Not Just Your Business!

Funny how when you do what you love it just happens naturally. When you love what you do for work, somehow it simply doesn't feel like work.

Many people start new businesses and focus only on the monetary side of the equation. They sit and brainstorm services, products, apps, technology, gidgets and gadgets they can sell.

They think of names, purchase domain names, start building websites before they have even thought about let alone figured out who is going to buy the offer or product. They often have no idea how they are going to take it to market, integrate social media or the million other things that are required to build a successful business.

The Desperate Dollar Chasing Entrepreneur

We know this conversation well as we get loads of these entrepreneurs contacting us each week. Everyone seems to have the brand new shiny social network that is going to oust Facebook from the interwebs.

These business owners fill out a contact form on our website begging us to review their product that is going to push Facebook and Google+ to the curb. Most of the time they provide a gmail email address as a reply contact. It's obvious it's a form letter they have copied and pasted into tens if not hundreds of websites.

Then the bad ones take it a step further and contact us on LinkedIn. It's the same story repeated. Once again they're begging for clicks, links, blog write-ups or our commitment to be an influencer ready to rave about their awesome product to our social communities.

In one email they have proven to me they have no strategy, no plan for monetization and most importantly no respect for my time or the social community I have invested time for years to build by nurturing real relationships. Check out this article for more on this topic -> I Respect Your Community, Do You Respect Mine?

Why am I telling you this? Because if this is you, these are all signs that you don't have a solid business or marketing plan. It's also quite likely you don't have a solid product, tool, widget, gadget or business. It's even more unlikely that your new shiny object is ever going to take over the interwebs, particularly if you keep using the same methods of doing such.

So, here is my short and simple message for you today… 

Quit trying to monetize your business. Monetize your Passion!

What Is Your Passion?

What is it that you love to do? Why do you love to do it? You can't chase your passions in a dollar bill or sales squeeze page. Your passions come from deep inside of you.  They know you and no matter how much you try to push them out, they will always come back!

What is it you are passionate about? Is it helping people build businesses? Is it design? Is it web development? Is it fishing? Sewing? Kayaking? Fitness? Singing? Spiritual growth? Faith based ministries? Self help services? Personal or business coaching?

Dream it, plan it, do it, LIVE it!

Create a vision board that includes your dreams, your goals and life as you see it. What does life look like in 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 5 years? What is the life you want to live? Who do you want to be? Be that person today, not tomorrow. There is no reason you must wait on a dollar bill or millions of dollars in the bank to start making progress toward the life you dream of.

Quit Selling Me Widgets! Sell Me Value!

Quit focusing on how you can sell me your silly widget. Instead start focusing on how you can leverage your personal talents and passions to make my life or business better.  Build and nurture a relationship with me built on trust.

Offer me something of value. Teach me, interact with me. Share your best stuff with me. Do something, anything that brings me joy, entertainment, inspiration, and benefit of any sort.

Do this and you won't have to beg me in a contact form to look at your product. Instead I will embrace it, buy it and likely shout about it from the social mountain tops so all my friends and colleagues can learn about it too.

When you find, embrace and nurture your passions, business just works. You won't have to try so hard. You won't feel like you are working. You will wake up on fire each morning for what is ahead.

When you embrace your passion it will exude from your contact forms. It will exude from your tweets, Facebook posts and every word that comes out of your mouth. It will be contagious and people will want to be part of what it is you are doing and have to offer them!

As I always say, God's plans for your life are far bigger than your dreams can ever be. Dream big my friends!

What Say You?

Are you focusing on the right or the wrong things? Are you embracing, nurturing and living your passions? Or are you sticking your life into a dollar bill that may never happen? How do you focus on your passions? What have you done to balance passion and monetary needs?

Heartbeat of Social Media Series

This blog post is part of a series titled “The Heartbeat of Social Media“. It includes a deep look at how communities work, what people are doing within them and how businesses can better understand how they can fit in, provide value and derive benefit as both a business as well as individual people.

Subscribe to the series for updates and access to special videos, webinar training and more. Would love to hear your input and have you participate in discussions and debates as we challenge each other to be part of what makes the social network heartbeat healthy and alive!