Key Takeaways

When it comes to entrepreneurship, the word ‘passion’ gets thrown around quite a bit. And it makes sense — when professionals choose to bet on themselves instead of taking the road more traveled, they’re far more likely to be passionate about their work.

But here’s the thing: Passion can work for or against you in a business model. Your goal? Make it work for you.

First, I think we tend to categorize individuals with passion into the enigmatic genius entrepreneur who hits it big or takes the leap with the smallest of chances for success, only to watch them absolutely crush it.

And these stories are inspirational, no doubt. But they’re hardly accessible to most of us. What about the entrepreneurs who aren’t in their 20s anymore and aren’t able to eat gravel for years to pursue this passion?

What about the entrepreneur simply looking to replace (or increase) their corporate income with a new business venture? What about the entrepreneur who is fed up with the corporate bureaucracy and red tape, ready to take control and better align their working life with their life goals? What about the new parent who got laid off? The executives in their 50s who hit a career plateau? The uninspired drone selling a widget they haven’t cared about for the last two decades?

These kinds of entrepreneurs undoubtedly seek passion in their future careers, but they also have to balance must-haves........

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