Tipping Point - Do You LOVE What You Do?

In February, I met a Macedonian chap in a place called Marcus Way, just outside Melbourne, Australia. George, a mechanic by trade, was restoring old VW campers having spent large parts of his life working in mechanical jobs he hadn't enjoyed. His business, Hire a Kombi, supported by his lovely wife Alyce, changed his life.

George told me, "If you don't love what you're doing, it's not worth doing". It could have been one of those cliché moments that you hear, breath a moments inspiration from and then quickly forget... but it stayed with me. I felt it.

The conversation went on and George and I talked about how across the world, we educate children about money, geography, maths, history and lots of other fabulous things, however we agreed that the one thing we generally don't educate our children about is the importance of LOVE and how powerful it can be.

When you really love what you do, you don't work. Love gives you a fulfilment; nothing else really matters. The poorest man in the world can still be rich with love.

I am sure there are many inner-entrepreneurs reading this that wonder how they could ever start a business - how could they have time. Most of us have homes, debts, families... I do. After spending a few years working for a small business, I grew a desire to be the one making the decisions. I wanted my own version of that small business I was working for. I wanted to be in charge of my own destiny. This urge has blossomed into a much bigger project, like businesses do, but how could I ever get there without an investor and with bills to pay. Let me tell you, if you love it enough, you find time.

I created The Hand Dyed Shoe Co. in 2014 and since that very first day, I've worked full-time alongside it - 40+ hours a week. My jobs, firstly with The Original Sofa Company and for the last 2 years as a Store Manager with Sofa Workshop, have given me so much. My job has been a necessity to pay said bills and support my family (my wife is currently a student), but truthfully I've never done any job for money. I'm driven by love and that is all.

Sofa Workshop is a love affair. I've developed in so many ways professionally because of my time there and I've had some incredible moments, including winning two awards last year acknowledging my desire to go above and beyond when it comes to customer service. However, for around 6 months now, I've felt like I've lost my mojo. Something has been missing... it's my love that is missing.

I often think back to George's wise words about love. I've had lots of advice over the last 6 months, most of it has been to make the change, but logic doesn't work like that. I don't have thousands of pounds worth of savings or a back-up plan. I couldn't walk away from a well paid, secure job. Truthfully, I hoped I might fall back in love and that I could continue to do both - my business and my job - but it hasn't really happened. Inevitably I've put more and more energy into The Hand Dyed Shoe Co. and last week, I secured an order which was the one I targeted myself as 'tipping point'.

I don't hate my job, I just don't love it anymore. But I do love my business. Last week, I officially stepped down from my role as Store Manager and reduced my hours to part-time (thank you Sofa Workshop) to ease the transition. I don't think tipping point will ever be 'the right time', and I admit I'm petrified - I'm scared mostly of letting down my family - but I need to love what I am doing to do it well, and I hope that my love will drive my business forward and make the transition fairly seamless.

"I only start working when I stop loving..."

Simon Bourne - Founder of The Hand Dyed Shoe Co.