Get passionate about your business
by Shivani Gupta,
Newcastle Herald Small Business Column,
published Monday, 7 November 2011
A lot of small business owners start their business because they are passionate about their craft or being their own boss. After a number of years it is easy to lose that passion. But it is vital that you get that passion back if you are to make your business as successful as it can be.
But running a small business can be a hard slog. There are many things that take you away from your actual craft, all of which can suck away the passion you once had. Sound familiar?
I was watching the Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton on the ABCTV Show “At the Movies” the other week. It was their 25th anniversary show. To do the same thing for 25 years is an amazing achievement. I don’t watch the show each week but what struck me was their passion for film and their passion for sharing film with their viewers.
You may think you are hiding it well but believe me it shows when you are not passionate about your business. It shows in your service and in your ability to grow and develop your business. A lack of passion also rubs off on your staff.
When I presented to the Australian Human Resource Institute Newcastle conference recently on how to make staff more passionate about what they do, we looked at some shocking statistics on passion. The US Harris Interactive Study reveals less than half of people are very passionate about their work. There is some good news in that 44% of small business employees felt very passionate about their work, compared to 28% of people working in large firms. The figures are still very low.
To be a great leader you not only need a vision that you really believe in but you need to be able to communicate that vision. That is much easier to do if you have unlocked your passion and enthusiasm.
What can you do to unlock or regain your passion?
- Ask yourself what you are passionate about. It may be that you no longer have a passion for your current business and are passionate about another one. It may be time to move on.
- If the passion for your current business is there but just dormant, then remind yourself of the specifics of the passion you once had. Try to outsource, delegate or delete the things in your business that you are not passionate about.
Unlock your passion today as a first step toward a more prosperous and rewarding small business.