A friend invited me to a networking event for a college alumni group.  I didn’t attend that college, but my friend said they like to use the event to connect with other graduates and meet new people.  So I grabbed some business cards, the directions to the event, and I was off.

When I walked into the room, the first person I ran into was someone I’d met years ago but had lost contact with.  In fact, it was the person who designed and printed business cards and stationary for one of our businesses.  It was nice re-connecting and hearing how her business had grown and evolved.  During the conversation she was so enthusiastic, it was hard to get a chance to speak.  She has had some challenges, but it was clear she was enjoying the business.

After a few minutes, I moved on and continued to make my way around the room.  I saw a few familiar faces, but most of the people were new.  One woman I met was from Peru.  She had studied here in the States at a culinary school and was now selling deserts from her homeland.  She had a big smile on her face as she talked about the product and being able to use what she’d learned in school.

Near the end of the event I was chatting with the person who had invited me.  The crowd had thinned out and everything was winding down.  As we talked, we saw a man standing nearby.  He had a plate with snacks, but was standing alone.  Since this was a networking event, my friend and I decided meet him.

The conversation started with the usual.  "Hello.  What’s your name?  I’m Philip and this is Eric.  What do you do?"  He said he worked in the family’s real estate business.

As we talked with him about the business and his role in it, his responses were lackluster.  There was no energy or passion in his responses.  My friend asked him what he had studied in school and how did that relate to the work he was doing.  He said he’d studied in the hospitality industry, hotels and restaurants, but that it had nothing to do with his current work.  His work is simply a job. 

Then he said what he really wanted was to have a Bed and Breakfast.  In that moment, his voice picked up.  There was a brightness in his eyes, and his whole physiology changed.  He stood up straighter and looked more vibrant.

He may be good at his "job", but it isn’t feeding his soul.  His passion isn’t being fed and it shows in how he spoke to us during the first part of the conversation. 

One day I hope he gets his dream.  I suspect it will be a delightful place to visit.

We are creatures of emotions.  When we do something because we have to or we think we should, the job may get done, but at what price? 

When we do something because we want to, and because we have a passion for it, we feel good about.  Apply this to the home business you choose. 

If you don’t love what you’re planning to sell, don’t start the business.  You’re only exchanging a job you hate for a business you aren’t enthusiastic about.

Success a passion go together. And you spend too much time working in and on your home business not to love it.

Written by Philip Cohen