Importance of Passion in Entrepreneurship

You probably must have heard it before that one must start a business he or she loves and money will always follow. Yes, it is true that passion is a critical ingredient. However, in some cases following your passion might not always guarantee the ability to create a going concern. Well, starting and growing a sustainable business is not easy at all. Hence, passion can help you in many ways to survive the harsh realities of entrepreneurship. Below are a few insights that I found to be so interesting when looking at the influence of passion on entrepreneurial success:

Building a strong foundation:

Buildings with strong foundations will survive for centuries. Storms will come and go, harsh weather conditions will come and go but such buildings will withstand all those shocks. If your business idea is engulfed by flames of your passions, then you must know that you are off to a good start. The foundation will be much stronger than when you only think of money during ideation. Remember, every journey you start must have a genuine purpose for it to be a success. Therefore, passion will give you the motivation and confidence that you need to deliver your purpose for what you do and why you are doing it. So if you start something that you are passionate about, your chances of achieving success will be high.

Have you ever asked yourself why organisations have a vision, mission or values? A vision determines the perceived destination and it is about living in the future. Now, it is easy to have a vision for something you are passionate about as opposed to those random deals. The mission is how you want to get to the destination and to push that mission you need to have that burning passion. Values are those acceptable principles and standards of behaviour an organisation believes are important in driving its mission towards the perceived destination (Vision).

Staying in the game:

Starting a business is one thing while growing and sustaining it is another uphill task. Reports from Central Banks and Research Institutions show that more than 75% of start-ups close shop within 5 years of operation. This indicates that people put more effort on starting businesses for various wrong reasons mainly driven by the 'quick and easy wins' mentality without any direction. If you lack passion even the smallest of obstacles will kill your motivation and confidence to carry on with the entrepreneurship journey. Passion gives you the courage and determination to fight any obstacle that may come your way. With passion, every small win matters to you and it will push you to wake up every day energized to continue fighting with the hope that big wins are coming. Entrepreneurs who live in the future for instance, 10-15 years will have not be swayed by today's failures. However, they can only have that strength if they are passionate about their journey.

My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is this, please do not ignore your passion when you are starting a business. Take your time to listen to the inner person, find your purpose in life and have a sense of direction before embarking on this rollercoaster of a journey!

Brian Mahuni (CoachBM) is a Senior Market Researcher, Business Consultant & Career Coach who helped 2,000+ professionals to get meaningful employment & 50+ companies to grow their businesses!

He can be reached on +263 775 450 604 or [email protected]