“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”
“Do what you love, and the money will follow.”
It sounds like perfect career advice for a happy life: base your work on your passion. Except that it almost never works that way.
I’m in the business of connecting people with businesses that will help them achieve their goals. For years, I had a physical office near one of the premier golf communities in the country (Sawgrass Country Club, if you’re not from Northeast Florida). At least once a year without fail, someone would come into my office and tell me that their passion was golf, so they wanted to build a business around it.
Here’s why that’s rarely a good idea:
Working in your hobby means you seldom have time to work on your hobby. The business of being in business involves many things: hiring and training, taking care of customers, solving problems, and keeping books are among them. But it almost never allows you to do the thing that drew you to the industry in the first place. You’ll sell a new golf club to someone who’s headed out to the course on a beautiful afternoon, while you man the register at the shop because your 18-year employee didn’t show up again.
Do you love cooking and entertaining? Being a restaurateur or owning a bar means working when everyone else is having a wonderful time. In fact, your hard work is what’s essential to their wonderful evening. Friday nights, date nights, New Year’s Eve… you get the picture.
Your business should provide the means to finance your passion and give you the freedom to pursue it. When I work with someone who wants to become a business owner, I start with a comprehensive profile to find out what motivates them. Is it achievement? Becoming wealthy and successful? Giving back? A sense of belonging to a community?
When I understand their motivation, I can more easily speak their language. When I learn how they envision running a business will feel, I can help them find a company that will provide the opportunity to realize both their financial and personal goals. This includes playing golf on Friday afternoons and hitting the new hot spot with your spouse.
Being a business owner does not mean becoming what the business does. I know a Fortune 50 executive who bought a franchise that deep cleans restaurant restrooms. Lots of them: hundreds between Jacksonville and Orlando. Cleaning isn’t his passion, by any means. But he’s become very passionate about building a successful company, which has made him a wealthy man.
You can’t hate the work your company does, of course. There’s not enough money in the world to make it worthwhile doing something you can’t be proud of. But so many companies offer the opportunity for purpose and fulfillment, even if there may not be passion for the business itself. Whether it’s an auto repair shop or a fast-food brand, you’ll be creating jobs, training people for meaningful careers, and providing leadership and mentorship to the community in your spare time, if you choose to.
By all means, follow your passion and explore your hobbies. Owning a company puts you in charge of when and how you work and how you spend your free time. I choose to work with franchises because for many people, it’s the right entrée into business ownership.
It won’t cost a dime to find out if franchise ownership is right for you. You can talk through all your hopes – and fears – with someone who’s not trying to sell you anything (I get paid by the franchisor if and when you decide to make the investment). My only job is to match you with a business opportunity that’s the right fit for you.
If you’re ready to take the first step, take the franchise assessment.
Whatthefranchise is a Strategic franchise consulting firm that has helped people for over 30 years to find the best franchise via proprietary assessment tools.
In 2024, he was honored as a Marquis Who’s Who based on his accomplishments, position, visibility, and expertise in franchising.
Marshall’s background includes over 41 years of business ownership, sales, marketing, and consulting experience. His first endeavor as an entrepreneur was as an independent contractor for the southeastern United States, with the Optyl International Eyewear company based in Austria. During his tenure with Optyl, he was awarded the Consultant of the Year for the United States. Marshall parlayed his success with Optyl into a successful partnership of optical retail superstores in Jacksonville. His company also worked as an outside consultant for Vistakon, a Johnson & Johnson company. To contact Marshall, call 904.249.1820 or email Marshall@whatthefranchise.com.