Turning Your Passion Into a Business
Recently I engaged in a discussion about chocolate with someone where I rattled off my extensive chocolate resume.
Her response: “With all that passion around chocolate I am surprised to hear you’re not more involved. ”
Tis true. I first dipped chocolate as a tyke. I worked for several years at a chocolate store. My MBA thesis related to chocolate. I’m a chocolate industry trivia nerd. I’ve thought about starting a chocolate business. The list goes on and on.
Why have I not done so?
Because whenever I embark on anything new in life, I imagine the realities of the outcome.
When the pedal hits the metal, there’s much to NOT like about running a chocolate business. As I mentioned in my blog post about test driving things, I’ve been there and don’t want to do that.
A chocolate making business entails:
- Perfection (When I make chocolate, it usually comes out with those grey stripes. And I don’t care.)
- Quality control and carefully managing demand (Or risk losing big $$$)
- Temptation day in and day out (Who needs that?!)
And no, I don’t get sick of chocolate. So fear of diabetes and weight gain is always there.
The question of whether to pursue artistic endeavors—as well as Internet passion projects like SuperViva (which I do think has a viable business model but went on my “back burner.”*) To which I ask myself: Do I want to make a living from them. Or do I just want them “out there,” and that is the raison d’etre.
[*Based on a comment someone made I wanted to clarify I meant pursuing SuperViva as my sole work and income went on the backburner. Not the site itself which we are going to get up ASAP and will notify everyone right away when it's up.]
Barbara Sher
That’s a job that will pay the bills and enable you to pursue your passions on the side. While ideally you will love your work, the idea is that you have a job that enables you to enjoy your passions without forcing them to be the way you earn a living.
Envision the Incarnations Your Passion Could Take
Often when people think of a chocolate or other food business like a bakery, a store or a stand at the farmer’s market comes to mind. The hours can be grueling. Consumers are fickle. If people say restaurants are hard business, these may be even harder.
There are so many ways to pursue an interest as a business. Ask yourself:
1) What do you want to get out of it?
2) What don’t you want?
3) What will it be like in day to day reality? Would you get tired of it? Does it provide the lifestyle you want?
My “requirements” for a money-making chocolate endeavor would include:
- Knowing people are enjoying my creations through firsthand input or getting feedback.
- No worries about storing chocolate or keeping it intact (like at an outdoor venue).
- Flexibility, not wanting to be in a store all the time.
- Varieties of chocolate that could withstand flaws
- Avoiding down times like the slow summer season.
- The chance to interact with customers.
- It’s not my only work, as I don’t think it would be fulfilling compared to the work I do now.
Options could be:
- A seasonal business that closes for the summer
- English toffee or candied fruit…varieties that are all weather friendly!
- Wholesaling to caterers or cafes etc
- Chocolate on demand or for special occasions only
- Giving chocolate making classes
- Having a “learn to make chocolate” party business
As it stands, I still have many interests that override my desire to start a chocolate business. Instead, I’m throwing a chocolate-making party like the one at the top of this post. And much like my last chocolate party, it will fulfill many of the things I would seek in a chocolate business, only for a much briefer time. Voila!
Have you turned your “passion into profit?” Or chosen not to do so?
More importantly, are you drooling over the numerous mentions of chocolate?
