Do what you love

I agree with everything you so articulately posted. This should be required reading for anyone dreaming about starting an online business.

I would say you hit the nail on the head when it comes to starting a business. Well said.

Great Article Ken! as always you continue to inspire people in IM

Unfortunately, I completely disagree and I think the above advice is dangerous...especially the "It's not always a bad strategy to work your ass off for a few years doing something you don't like..."

That is a bad strategy for any business, online or otherwise, because that means your only passion will be about money. Which goes against everything else you just said about building a business...the money can't be the primary goal.

Whenever someone approaches me about an IM site, the first thing I ask them is, "What are you passionate about?" Then I ask, "Where do people spend money within that niche?" Finally, I close with, "What can you do unique that people within that niche will appreciate and tell their friends about?"

It really is that simple; that's all the guidance you need to form a brand.

But the problem here is that 99 out of 100 people reading your post are not making money online, they don't know where to start and their only focus is, "How do I make money?" So telling them to do something they dislike (like selling an eBook about being an Internet Superstar) is a fool's errand, because all they can do is copy the previous guy and hope for the best.

So yes- do what you love. Build a brand around it and then give people a reason to appreciate you. Heck, Zappos sells men's shoes...how boring it that? But Hsieh had the passion and it's one of the world's biggest brands. He never would have got there if he didn't love what he was doing though, and you'll find this exact same story behind every major name on the Internet. Facebook, Amazon, Travelocity, Apple....every creator was doing what he loved and that's where the passion came from.

So I'm sorry, but "do what you love" is awesome advice. It is simply incomplete advice since there's more to developing a brand and eventually monetizing, but it all starts with passion for the people within your segment.

Great post. I've been lurking here for a while but I had to post because I agree %100 with what you're saying. What got me into IM was Pat Flynn's niche site duel. He's one of the ones that says go for your passion, that didnt really mesh for me though because my passion is building custom motorcycles. I dont really see how that would jive with IM, i guess i could do tutorials or start an affiliate parts store, but there's a couple of problems with those ideas.
1. The motorcycle/hotrod industry is saturated with parts stores already and I could never compete.
2, I know a lot of people that build bikes and I know for a fact they're not watching any tutorials about it, its just the way they are.

I struggled with this for a while when I decided to build a niche site in the real estate market, which I have really no interest in, I just saw an opportunity to "fill a gap"
But eventually, after working on my site 4 hours a day for about 6 months while working 40 hours a week at my 'day job' I realized that it doesn't have to be my passion.
In fact my passion at this point is freedom from the 9-5. Freedom from having to be at work when the boss says and do what the boss says 40 hours/WK.
Even if IM never made me more than $3000-4000 a month and I had to work 8 hours a day to get it, I would be OK with that because I would be free. If it was an especially nice spring day here in Montana and I wanted to take that day off and go put a line in the water or take a motorcycle ride, I could.
I guess what I'm saying is my passions DO drive my work in IM, even though they don't really have anything to do with it. And what you said about doing what others won't now so that you can do what they can't later is freakin' gold. I'm gonna print that quote out and hang it on the wall because I've always felt that way, just never put it into words.
Great post Op!

I have learned in life that there are many paths one can take.

For every question, challenge, etc, there will be tons of different answers, opinions, solutions (advice given from different angles by different folks), and a strategy that may work for one person, may not work for another.

Of course I respect you Ken and your experience, but I do know that there will be many that may disagree that "doing what you love is terrible advice."

Ultimately, my own personal opinion is that if "I" can love what "I" do, (and IF "I" can earn a decent living with it satisfactory to "my" financial needs), then "I" choose to do that!

Because in the end, when laying there on my death bed, I really want to look back and know that I loved my life, my chosen path, my business, passion, niche, career, whatever I choose to do with my days.

I do ofcourse understand that the focus of a business needs to be on the consumer, but you should be able to somehow find a balance by doing something you love, in a market (niche) filled with consumers that love what you offer.

I do agree with this Ken, but last year I ended up in a hospital bed spewing blood during surgery as there were complications trying to unclog my arteries.

Sometimes stress, (not loving what you do) and working your ass off for too long, can get you to the "exit strategy" quicker than you planned. (not giving you the next few decades you speak of).

And I don't think they have WIFI up there, or down there, depending on where you end up going...

...nowhere does it say the only or main desire has to be money. The last part makes a simple suggestion that sometimes making a bunch of money up front so you can earn a whole load of free time to pursue your true goals and passions in life (maybe start a charity, rescue dolphins, whatever) is a good exchange. But of course the last part suggested that only SOMETIMES is that not a bad strategy…and I’m willing to bet a LOT of wealthy people you know aren’t in a business they have a deep love for…or at least didn’t start with that love. Let me ask you this...if there was a huge need for cleaning dirty toilets in your town and you feel you can fill that need well and earn 10 million dollars a day, would you? How about 100 million a day? There's always a point where it becomes worth it. Obviously it's a hypothetical but makes the point that sometimes temporarily doing something others won't so you can earn retirement decades earlier isn't a bad strategy.

...and this all hinges on being able to solve the need. If you see a huge need in a niche you hate and don't think you can solve it because you don't have the passion, then obviously that's a bad route...common sense.

Tony Hsieh, what if he followed your advice…if he picked the top 5 niches he loved when he started, do you think shoes would be in there? Doubtful. But he was passionate about solving a need so he’s in a niche he doesn’t give a rats butt about but his passion for solving the need makes him love what he does.

And that’s my point. Don’t start with your favorite love niche, start with the greatest impact you can make on consumers and IF you can develop a passion for solving that, regardless of niche, go for it.

The underlying premise under the whole post is that you are doing it to solve a need as the priority and the money or anything else is secondary.

The whole point is that the customers needs and desires are put before your own…and if you do so, your needs as the business owner will be met.

A few folks are thinking...

"If you don't love what you do, you are only doing it for the money"

or

"If you don't love what you do, you hate it"

Both aren't the points of the post. The point is that 1) put your consumer above yourself when going into a business...so money should never be the priority but rather the side effect of putting the consumer first and 2) you shouldn't do something just because you love it...but you can absolutely do something you love and if you can solve a great need in a niche you love, have at it.

But remember, your passion should be about solving the need, NOT the niche.

And the Zappos example is a great one. Tony may have liked shoes but do you think his real love in life is shoes? But he is passionate about solving a need in that niche...and he created a company and brand around that passion, impacted millions and is now making millions.

Nice post Ken.

The above is an important comment IMO. When thinking about the subject it doesn't have to be "either/or." Do something you love (and that you're passionate about) and something that is of service helping people with their problems.

the formula i have gone by ..is not focusing on any one thing that you love to do ..as when i love playing world of warcraft .. there was no real way for a westerner to make any money at it .. or other games..unless you where a lot better than me ..or a lot more dedicated ..

i eventually learned oe did a break down.. of what i like about playing the game.. or what made me passionate about doing a good job at work ..

then i had a whole bunch of health problems i needed to take care of ..and though i became a real good cook .. one very demotivating thing for me..is actually having to do the same thing over and over ..so being a chef and perfecting recipies then cooking the same thing over and over..or being a cook and cooking the same thing over and over ..whould not be something that suited me ..

anyway.. i identified a list of thing i enjoy doing while working and thing i don't ..and then found a type of business that i could work in much of what i like doing and limit the stuff i do not enjoy .. actuallu a few businesses ..that are related ..

forget the thing that you think you are passionate about .. because once you go from that being something you do a small amount or a large amount of time for fun..to doing it 12 hours a day 6-7 days a week to put food on the table ..you won't be passionate about it for long ..unless you are lucky .

identify what motivates you to do things ..do them well. and keep doing them.. and build your business so that you do what motivates you..and there are people out there who are motivated to do what you don't like doing and not motivated to do what you like doing .. find them .work with them .

people who are a hundred years old and healthy .. get out of bed and have work they do every day ..that they get in the zone doing .

find the work that will get you jumping out of bed in the morning ..

in any case you migh have to get jobs you do not like ..if they provide a path to building skills and figuring out what you will like to do for work ..

I think "do what you love" is bad advice for two reasons:

1. It may ruin what you love.

This is something I hear from musicians a lot. They say that being forced to do music every day ruins music for them. The idea here is, work has unpleasant elements about it. If you take the ONE thing that you're MOST PASSIONATE about in this whole wide world, and you combine it with the day to day routine of work, that could create a Pavlovian association where the thing you love, starts to be less "lovable." This obviously doesn't apply to everyone but for some people it's a very real risk--like I said, I've heard it from many musicians.

2. It's not always possible.

Think of it. What kinds of things do people "love"? They're all over the place. Some of us are fortunate enough to "love" things that are easy to get paid for--driving, programming, copywriting--but many don't. What if your main love is poetry? It's pretty hard to get paid doing that.

The advice that I recommend instead is, "do what you like enough for it to not feel like work.

Everybody can find something that they enjoy enough, for the work to not FEEL like work. For some it's writing. For some it's talking. For others its drawing. Each of these are easy enough to turn into a business. Take drawing, for example. It's not easy to make a living just drawing whatever you want, but it's very easy to make a living doing graphic design. That sort of thinking is what leads people to very satisfying careers.

i agree with the first line, i loved smoking weed and it pretty much got me nowhere.

Each of us has different opinions, goals and perception. Even the meaning of success is different for everyone.

I think that as long as you stick to your goal and you have the right will and mind setting to fulfill that goal, you will become successful in your chosen business -whether it is something that you love or not.

Also in business, there is nothing wrong in pursuing something that you love--- as long as you also think 'realistically'. Most of the time, being passionate at something may not really lead to a business that provides you with stable income. Most of the time as well you give more than you receive.

I guess it is important to define and set your goals before starting a business. It is important to balance everything out.

This is absolutely true; by simply doing what we love we cannot expect to have a sustainable income without a market for it. I would say think of what you love doing and then see if you can turn it into a sustainable income. Create a need from what you love to do so that people will patronize your service or product. Help people see the benefits of what you offer and how it can solve their problems and they will instantly become your best customers.

Lets throw in another angle.


For me there are two ingredients needed - compelling WHY and adding value.


If you want to monetize anything, you need to be able to add value. You can add value in any area (even if it is your passion). If it is not going to add value, then it is not going to earn you money.


The second and most important is you WHY. Why are you doing what you are doing? Is it for the money? Or, do you rally want to make a difference in people's lives? Interestingly most millionaires make it their duty to add value to other people by sharing or charity.


If your WHY is big enough, you will get up every morning and get to your goal. If it is you passion, you won't get up to go to a job, but you will continue to live your life. So it is really about the route.


I believe that you can do what you love as long as your WHY is big enough to get you to your goal. The WHY is the route, and the adding value the fuel.

i am totally Agree

You know, people used to always tell me find your niche. I would always say that I didn't have one, simply because no one told me the true meaning of niche to begin with.
Niche- Use what you know about the subject you love to help others.
Thank you for helping me see that. Even if it may've been obvious before, I didn't catch it. But after reading your post, I did. I cannot express the gratitude I have with simple text, but just imagine winning 50k.

Hit the nail on the head.

Amazing advice, Kenster. The people that author books need to read this.

"Struggle is the meaning of life, defeat and victory is in the hand of God, but struggle itself is man's duty and should be his joy"

Great words of wisdom Kenster. Want to make more money? Well, then go out there and help more people solve their problems. If you can truly solve someone's problem and you make this clear to that person, he/she will be more than willing to pay for that solution.

Thanks for a great read! I think the most important getaway from your article is "Build something customers need, not what you want". Of course the best scenario is to find a problem that you also love solving, as that is the sure way to keep your motivation high at all times.

Luck (and I don't mean fate) plays a bigger role than action. Wether you belive this or not.
Most success stories are just people landing in situations where direction was lacking, and direction was needed.
It's why the Hero emrges from the crowd, why all cultural mythology is so old, since the more you control the enviroment, the less of a risk people are willing to pay.

We strive for security, and it's precisely this desire which pushes us back into conservatism.

There are two sides to every story. You can love what you do and still not be successful at it, and you can absolutely hate your job but it's still possible to build a well paying business around it. It really depends on what you count as success. I have a strong feeling OP's definition of success revolves around money, while mine revolves around doing what I love so I have to disagree from the start.

Very well said, thanks for lighting up!

I say do what you love and build your lifestyle around the income that can afford.

I don't think you know what its like to really love doing something, and feeling that is your purpose or you wouldn't ever give that advice.

There is no greater happiness than being "in flow" with doing the thing you feel your were meant to do.

Money just can't buy that.

I don't really agree because you're only taking this with the 'business mindset'.
But when you say 'do what you love' that doesn't just apply to having a business.

A friend likes playing a particular video game and now he's started earning money by getting in a team and competing in tournaments.
He does what he loves

Another guy might like traveling and seeing and photographing exotic places. So he can travel, make a blog about traveling and earn money that way.

You don't just earn by having a business. There are multiple ways to earn money and do what you love at the same time.

I like the way you explained everything!

I don't think I have ever looked at it from that angle. Mind opening. Thank you for the post!

I tend to agree. It's about what the customer wants, not about my passion. There's a joke about how I followed my passion: I ate some pizza, had an early nap, watched my favourite show - and now I wait!

Still, this is great advice however nothing is absolute. If you don't love what you do, you turn into a slave.

100 plus years ago pepsi and cock where sold in pharmacies because people thought they where medicine at the time ..if i remember the story ..which i probably don't someone bought the formula for pepsi from the inventor then made it what it is today ..

from studying successfull people .. it goes beyond passion into obsession that drives them to work 12 + hours a day 6-7 days a week ..obsession with putting the best product out their to serve the customers

Oh if only more cats took this to heart. We could save so many savings accounts from hitting bottom. Marriages too.

I agree with Kenster's opening post and his comment posted about an hour ago. But I would like to add that in affiliate marketing and internet marketing, if you pursue your passion, do your due diligence and research it to make darn sure there is a market for what you're offering.

It is of utmost importance to conduct thorough keyword and market research to ensure that your hard work will not be in vain. That research should point you in the right direction as to whether you should pursue your passion or a niche that's not your passion, or get your mind ready to pursue a labor of love.

And, if you can afford it, pay for coaching to help shorten the learning curve and maybe accomplish some goals or get to some successful results faster before you get completely frustrated, burned out, and/or distracted.

Good thread, Kenster! And very good replies.

Love what you do and abundance will flock like the swirling snow that turns into an avalanche.

I completely agree. You should do what you love but do it in a way that'll make you money. Do some market research before hopping into that niche.

If you can't make a living off of it, wait and do something else you do or don't love doing and make money in that niche then go back to your first niche and do it as a side hobby.

I honestly believe you can make money doing anything these days though. Just gotta know how to maneuver the cash flow.

Do what you love, life won't get any bigger.

For example turning down a 4k salary for 3k income just because it sets you free and you have no probs doing it. Just keep grinding until the fat lady sings.

The most depressing thing to do with your life is to devote it to anything other than following your passion. What is the point if you don't do what you love? Thinking that one through for a good 5-10 minutes helps all see: following your love and matching your passion with solving some problem leads to worldly success and happiness.

Funny how every happy billionaire I have followed online advises you to follow your passion. Yet no Warrior offering this counsel is a happy billionaire hehehe...2 and 2?

Doing what you love is key to your happiness and overall well being. Just become A Player and you won't have to work as hard.