Follow Your Heart, Not the Crowd

All the successful business icons have one thing in common, their passion for their product, service, company, or cause. They followed their hearts instead of doing what someone else told them they should do or what will make them the most money. They went with their gut feeling—and made a business out of the one thing that consumed their thoughts.

It is very sad to me when we meet with business owners that are starting a business because they prioritize money and/or recognition. Living in a college town, I meet many students who have a completely different passion for what they are studying because either their parents told them to pursue it or again money. I am not pointing fingers; I was there at one point! I cannot tell you how bored I was in my finance classes and the relief I felt when I decided to pursue my passion of marketing, even though I would not make as much money. Boy! Were those classes a lot more fun.

Follow your heart, not the crowd!

When you are honest and true with yourself, your business will begin to flourish, because people can connect with what is REAL. You are the face of your brand, meaning you are the reason people choose to come to you and comeback to you (hopefully). Allow your work to mesh perfectly with your true, authentic heart. You can never go wrong when you operate your business authentically and make decisions based on that clear, strong foundation.

It is very easy to get away from your true passion and why you started the business. Here are some classic examples and ways to fix:

1. Marketing your product to EVERYONE. I know that you need money and that starting a business is expensive and worrisome, but you are only hurting yourself if you think that you can target everyone. There is no way to satisfy and connect with everyone.
2. Not thinking about your ideal client and actively trying to attract them. Unfortunately, your ideal client may not be able to afford your pricing. Make adjustments for these people! Working for your ideal client makes work fun- and when work is fun- its not work. Re-evaluate your pricing strategy to see if your ideal market can afford your product/service, if not, research ways to get to their pricing.
3. The only way to build referrals is to actually connect with people. Word of mouth advertising is the most effective and the cheapest way to build your business. When you truly connect with clients, they will refer you to people that are LIKE THEM, which brings you more business with people you actually want to work for.
4. Get rid of the product/service that your currently provide but cannot stand. You get to be your own boss, remember? So if there is a product or service that you currently provide that you can’t stand, then chances are your ideal client won’t be satisfied with it either. Spend time on what you love!
5. Fall back in love with your business. If you love your business, then unfortunately it does consume most of  your thoughts, time and energy. Maybe you need to take some time off to re-energize, or you may have gotten away from your core values, or fallen into the trap of providing work that pays instead of work you love. Think about why you started it, who you love working with, what you love doing, and bring that back!

I also want to say that this post is to encourage students to follow your heart and study what you get excited about. If you are studying something you hate, ask yourself, “Do I really want to be this bored in my profession?”

If you don’t own a business, fall back in love with your career! Why did you choose the job? How can you make it more enjoyable?

Please remember, your career does not define you. Unfortunately, it is where some of us spend most of our time, but it does not define your meaning in life. There is much, much more to life than your job.

I will leave you with this from good ole Dr. Seuss , “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you.”