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Passion vs Profit

by Spiritnova
23 replies
I've read alot of material dealing with affiliate marketing, and I'm always seeing two very common, but opposite viewpoints.

The first is "pick a niche you enjoy". It's a great sentiment, and it makes sense to like what you're selling, but realistically 'what you enjoy' won't necessarily coincide with 'what sells well'.

Which brings me to the second view point, "go where the money is". If you want to make a full-time income, then it makes sense to pick a profitable niche/product.

So I'm curious, where do you guys stand on the subject?
#passion #profit
  • Profile picture of the author theory expert
    Banned
    If it don't make money it don't make cents(not even pennies).

    You can love until you run out of tears for beach sand, but, if noone loves your passion with you then you will never have a penny in your pocket.

    Jim Straw once said, the choice of business you start is dependant on what advantages you seek, and, what disadvantages your willing to accept.

    You have to weigh the passion thing with, "Will I make enough in the industry to meet my personal needs"?

    Only you know how much money you need. It's all relative.

    Hope this helps.
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      [DELETED]
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  • Profile picture of the author Cee
    Go where the money is first. When you start earning a steady income with that then you can start a side project with your "passion". If it doesn't make money then it won't matter because you already have other profitable income streams. This way you have the best of both worlds.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Have a passion for profit and you got the best of both worlds.
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    • Profile picture of the author Anthony Phillips
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      Have a passion for profit and you got the best of both worlds.
      Well said!

      I agree with this gentlemen

      Anthony
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    • Profile picture of the author JBWritingServices
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      Have a passion for profit and you got the best of both worlds.
      Awesome answer
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    • Profile picture of the author Rockid
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      Have a passion for profit and you ...
      ... are the most pitiful sucker out there. Just think about it, let the profit become a passion - and you are the saddest person. On the contrary, seen it many times, when someone is passionate about something real, you will feel good and cash will follow.

      As for the subject of the thread, of cause making IM money on something you are passionate about helps a lot. Reason = you can give a really valuable advise, you know the subject inside-out, and (the key) your offer is credible.
      Example: we all market with articles, and the difference between articles written about something you're passionate about and about something you don't know - as between Yes and No. The first one will get a ton of reference traffic, while the other one will at most be just another link praying for G-love.
      Can you sell something you don't care about? of cause you can, but you've got to be good at faking a passion - this is tough and takes lots of training.
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      • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
        Banned
        Originally Posted by Rockid View Post

        ... are the most pitiful sucker out there. Just think about it, let the profit become a passion - and you are the saddest person. On the contrary, seen it many times, when someone is passionate about something real, you will feel good and cash will follow.
        Yeah right. Pitiful sucker. Sad person. lol
        Get a grip. Show me your money screenshots for your passion. Let's see ... all those people promoting a tinnitus cure/relief ... they're passionate about tinnitus. All those promoting relief for genital warts ... they're passionate about them ...

        You absolutely do not need to be passionate about a niche to make a profit and if making a profit isn't important to you, just keep chasing your "passions".

        Since I am basically a designer and sell my own products, I've been passionate about my full time online career for over 12 years now. Fortunately, it has also supported me financially. Leaves me enough time and money to pursue other things that I'm passionate about that have nothing to do with making a profit.

        So what about you? How much do you make from your passions?
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      • Profile picture of the author Bill_Z
        Originally Posted by Rockid View Post

        Can you sell something you don't care about? of cause you can, but you've got to be good at faking a passion - this is tough and takes lots of training.
        What does faking passion have to do with selling anything online? If I have an e-commerce site for sunglasses I have to fake my passion for putting the latest DKNY sunglasses on your face? Sorry, I don't care about that. My passion will be getting the traffic and getting the money.
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      • Profile picture of the author JoshTara
        Originally Posted by Rockid View Post

        ... are the most pitiful sucker out there. Just think about it, let the profit become a passion - and you are the saddest person.
        I'm thinking It's not exactly the money itself that was being referred to. It's what the money is used for, what it can do in your life or the life of others you choose to bless. The freedom from your J.O.B., being home full-time with your kids, being free from debt, giving to church and charities you care about..... these things I can get passionate about. And they will all be funded by your passion for profit. The profit itself probably isn't the passion, it's all the things it will fund that are the passions.
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    • Profile picture of the author JoshTara
      Originally Posted by sbucciarel View Post

      Have a passion for profit and you got the best of both worlds.
      That was well put.

      I have some sites that I put up just because I enjoy the topic, went into them not caring much about how much i make from them, thats just a bonus if i do.
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  • Profile picture of the author nicholasb
    people have different opinions on how to select a niche. go where the money is.

    I think if you enjoy marketing you can go into any niche you want. I love marketing and writing copy and making profits. I do it all the time and it's all I really do and when I'm not doing it I am thinking about it.

    I personally like to go after giant niches a million searches a month or more I find it easier to make money in big niches because words like saturation and competition aren't in my vocabulary.

    I look at it more like advertising opportunities and affiliates.
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    • Profile picture of the author Spiritnova
      Have a passion for profit and you got the best of both worlds.
      Lol, I like that. That's more or less where I'm at.

      words like saturation and competition aren't in my vocabulary.
      I've heard varying opinions on that as well. I do recall someone saying something to the effect of "a million search results doesn't mean a million competitors. It just means a million people giving it a shot."

      I'm inclined to agree.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bill_Z
    Having a passion for the subject surely helps, but given the two choices I would say go to where to money is hands down. If you are looking to make a living at this, sure your one passion might make you a few bucks. But much more often than not, it's the people that have multiple streams of income that are the ones that make full-time living. And I guarantee they aren't passionate about every stream...I know I'm not. Sure you'll see people who are able to make a living from their one site on growing banana trees but in my opinion those are few and far between.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    This is something only you can answer. A lot of people (as noted above) are passionate about making money and passion about the product isn't important.

    For others, especially if you're doing your own writing, it's hard to continue to write enthusiastically about things you don't care about.

    I find myself somewhere in the middle. If what you're passionate about has no market then you won't make money no matter how hard you try. It's better to accept it's only a hobby and enjoy it as such.

    However, if something you love has a market then you may be able to mix the best of both worlds. This works great for some people but not all. Some prefer to keep their hobbies for pleasure and business separate.

    I've seen both models work. Only you can decide what works best for you.
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  • Profile picture of the author GoldenGlovez
    Having passion to the type of marketing you are performing will increase your success rate exponentially. You will be willing to invest much more energy into a project you enjoy doing rather than a niche that just drives you mad thinking about writing new content. However, you do need to find a balance between happiness and money. There is little sense in working passionately on a project that only brings you a few bucks a month.
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    • Profile picture of the author marcuslim
      You want to identify the sweet spot at the intersection of passion, profit and skill. Simply doing what you love is not enough if there's no one interested in what you do. On the other hand, if you're not interested in something, then you will struggle to keep going with it even if it is a profitable niche.
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      Marcus Lim
      Silver Bullet Publishing

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  • Profile picture of the author Kyle Stankiewicz
    I try to go for both. If I see profit opportunity in a niche that I genuinely have passion for, I jump on it. I write my own material for it and save time/money on content and inspiration. If I see a niche with profit opportunity that I don't care about, there are other people to write content for it. As long as you have something that you're passionate about involved with your business then its easier to stay motivated.
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  • Profile picture of the author richgrad
    here's an idea... pick something you like (passion) AND are good at (natural talent) AND you know there's demand for (Marketability/Profitable)
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    • Profile picture of the author Elec
      Originally Posted by richgrad View Post

      here's an idea... pick something you like (passion) AND are good at (natural talent) AND you know there's demand for (Marketability/Profitable)
      Yes, this is the exact equation and I agree with you.
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    • Profile picture of the author John Galt
      Originally Posted by richgrad View Post

      here's an idea... pick something you like (passion) AND are good at (natural talent) AND you know there's demand for (Marketability/Profitable)
      Why not throw in $0.05 clicks, scalable traffic volume and zero competition while your at it. :rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author DIGITALCHAMELEON
    Go for the thing that you enjoy if you enjoy in making profit then your passion in it.
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  • Profile picture of the author crystalDMP
    I know it totally makes sense that choose something, just one thing that you're really good at and passionate about and get started, and it will end up something big. The thing is, sometimes, you're just not sure what you're good at that could be your niche or where your passion is...
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