The Profitable Side of Passion for Business Entrepreneurs

As someone who many might consider having an uncommon passion for what I do, which is bio-hazard clean up, it is not unlike any other business entrepreneur who wants to take what they love and turn it into a thriving business venture that will allow them financial stability for the long haul and security for their family for years to come.

That means not relying on passion alone to carry you to the highest levels of success and profitability. I seem to be telling myself more often than I care to admit that Passion is not going to blind me to the practical aspects of how to make my business successful. It seems to be turning into my entrepreneurial mantra.

Any good business person needs to incorporate their passion for their business with a dose of reality about some of the most important ways in which harnessing your passion can help make your venture successful:

1. Use Your Customers as Your Guide

If you love your work, then you have a certain level of respect for the people that you service every day or will service when your business is up and running. This includes valuing their feedback about your work. So, get as much feedback from them as you can through post-service surveys through surveymonkey.com that are free and can be sent via email to every customer. This will give you a visual perspective via a graph or chart of what your customers think you need to improve on when it comes to your overall service. Without knowing what may be wrong in the field, passion can deteriorate rapidly, and to be able to find out from the servicing source and fix it is an exciting element of your business that keeps the passion alive.

2. Don’t just Say you’re an Expert…BE one

Many individuals talk about passion for their business or a love of a hobby that would like to turn into a business, but it isn’t reflected in the most intricate details of their product or service. If you exude passion then it must show in even the smallest details of the product or service that you will offer.

Make sure you are knowledgeable about the latest technology in your industry and how you can offer it in the most cost-effective way. No one who is passionate about what they do offers outdated technology or services to their clients—especially if a customer is more aware than you are of the latest developments. Then, make your customers aware of what you have to offer in a new product or service through advertising mailers or an open house to tout your new discovery! This works wonders for generating new business or renewing business that has not used your services for some time.

3. Find Others with Passion

We have all worked at that job where we love what we do but we work with someone who is the “Debbie Downer” in the office and constantly complains about their job duties, the company, and usually their career in general. This is not a person that has a passion for their job. So, make sure that before you open for business that you interview potential employees with great care and ask about their reasons for wanting to join your team.

This means not just choosing someone because they took the time to go through the entire hiring process that you ask them to do because this could just simply mean they are desperate for a job! But, it means sitting down with them in a one-on-one in-depth interview where you can observe their enthusiasm for the position and for the product or service that is offered and more importantly, that they show an interest in knowing more and learning more within the scope of their duties on the job to grow with the company. This will more than serve to keep your passion alive and growing as well.

4. Sharing Your Passion

If your business stems from a particular skill or hobby, more than likely there are other people who share the same interest about the product or service. Many people who are passionate about their hobbies form clubs or organizations to interact with like-minded people who are also passionate about the same thing. Research and find these organizations so that you can network with them to gain a greater customer base right out of the gate. You can also utilize these types of groups to gain knowledge about new technology in your area of interest and how it is being used as well as the possibility of networking with experts to gain greater knowledge about what you do. In turn, as these individuals get to know you as someone who is as passionate as they are about your shared interests, they will be a great source of referrals to grow your business for years to come.

Raymond Magno is the owner and lead cleaner of a bio-hazard cleaning business in Los Angeles.  He grew up in a small farming community in Maine, worked as a radioman in the Coast Guard and as a commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska before falling in love and following his wife to her hometown of Los Angeles. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his wife, son and two dogs and rooting for the Patriots football team.