Where’s your PASSION?

When I think of passionate people in business, several non-run-of-the-mill entrepreneurs come to mind. Ted Hustead of Wall Drug in South Dakota has always fascinated me.  During the Great Depression he gave himself five years to make a go of his drug store in Wall, South Dakota, a town that everyone called “Godforsaken.” After four and a half years, in the middle of nowhere, his wife suggested that they offer ‘free water and ice’ to people passing by on the highway several miles away. They went from one or two customers a day to needing eight new employees the following summer. Currently they have as many as 20,000 customers per day, merely from an idea of offering free water and ice. Ted said “that there’s absolutely no place on God’s earth that’s Godforsaken. No matter where you live, you can succeed, because wherever you are, you can reach out to other people with something that they need!” 

Debbi Fields was a young mother and homemaker in the late 1970s who wanted to take control of her life. With absolutely no business experience, everyone told her that a store that sold only cookies could never make it. But she believed that quality and a determination to help others could end with success. Mrs. Fields Cookies is now franchised worldwide. Debbi Fields said: “The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it.”

Or there’s Jill Blashack Strahan. Three months behind in her house payments, no job, two employees that she couldn’t pay, she kept thinking she needed to get a real job other than packing boxes on a pool table and using a garden shed for storage. But when she thought about her passion, her dream, and what she really wanted to do, she recommitted and got down to work. In twelve years she has grown Tastefully Simple into a $120 million dollar business.

Almost all of us know about Gary Vaynerchuk and his Wine Library TV. Or Steven Jobs of one of the greatest companies of all time ~ Apple. Or Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. Or Bill Melton of Verifone.

The list is endless. But these people shared one commonality ~ PASSION. A desire and a drive that THEY knew and believed in their heart would succeed.

Are you looking for your Pot of Gold? Then look no further than your passion. What are your strongest compelling emotions or feelings? How can they be channelled? How can they benefit others? If you don’t understand your passion, a great place to start would be to read Gary Vaynerchuk’s book, Crush It!