How strong is your passion?

by  Sue Hedley - Confidence First Coaching

April 2023

Starting a business is hard work, make no mistake. It takes time as well as emotional and physical energy. It’s challenging and, at times, lonely and not fun. It’s also amazing, the most wonderful experience. You will see-saw between the highs and lows. 

So, if you think being self-employed is what you want, I suggest you delve deeper and discover how passionate you are about it. Is your passion strong enough to get you through the lows? 

How much do you really - really - want it. Imagine how it will feel to sit down every morning at your desk and wrestle with your busy must-do calendar? 

Can you answer the endless stream of questions you constantly have to ask yourself to develop your business? 

Make sure it is what you desire, that it is YOUR dream. It is so easy to be swept along by someone else’s dream. Especially if it’s someone, we care about. We want to please them, make them happy - in the moment, we experience joy and enthusiasm, which feels good. Then in the cold light of day (days, weeks or months later), we may realise that it was a fun dream, but it wasn’t our dream. 

Let’s assume you have done some soul-searching and are sure this is your dream. It’s time to act with purpose. Time to proactively develop your passion. 

Start by exploring your business idea; the more you can “flesh out” your business, the easier it is to feel your passion and for it to grow. So let your business come alive. I’m not saying you have to have all the detailed answers at this stage – like knowing your entire product range, pricing structure etc., but you can start to make it real by answering questions like the ones below:

• Who are your customers?

• What problems do they have that will bring them to you?

• How will you solve their problem? 

• What do you have that is unique, i.e. in what way are you the best option they have? 

Hopefully, at this stage, you are feeling excited and motivated. 

Develop your passion with purpose.

It’s only you who can make your dream a reality. You are your biggest and best commodity. It’s time to start investing in yourself. Consider how you can build your desire, turbocharge your confidence, and leave your limiting self-beliefs behind. 

• Continuous learning and personal development are critical to success as an entrepreneur. Attend workshops, conferences, and seminars, read industry publications, and engage in other relevant activities to stay updated with the latest trends and best practices.

• Become self-aware. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What are your values, and does your business align with your values? For example - if you value stability and security, how will running a business that requires you to take risks standing in front of people and being spontaneous make you feel? There are so many self-help, self-development tools out there that you can tap into.

• Develop your personal skills: communication, planning, and time management. Boost your skills and learn new stuff if you need to. 

• Do some research to clarify what you have to offer your potential customers. Ensure it’s what they need, not what you want to offer them. 

How will you demonstrate why you are the ideal person/business to solve their problem? 

When I was starting my business, I knew that for me to be a successful coach, I needed to be trained and get certified, so I found and took a course. I then realised that independent accreditation was vital to stand out as a professional. I kept on learning and building on my skill set.

As well as all this knowledge, I knew that my biggest challenge was my own limiting self-belief. So I worked with a coach. I also attended as many high-quality, free coaching and business development opportunities as possible. 

In summary, pin down your passion and then nurture it with purpose. This is the formula for being unstoppable. 

Think carefully about exactly what the business is. For example, as a coach, it’s too broad a topic to think I want to help people. I’m going to coach people who want to live a better life. 

Q: Who is your ideal client?   

A: Women aged 35+ who are currently working full or part-time in a job that is causing them stress, boredom, frustration.

Q: What is their exact problem or challenge? 

A: They are not happy at work: they see 20+ years of working life stretching ahead know their current working situation is not making them happy. They have a desire to start their own business.  They don’t know how to take that desire and make it reality

Q: How are you going to help your clients solve their problem?

A: 

1. By working through targeted exercises to help identify what their business proposition is

2. By giving them detailed information so they can make decisions about how they set up their company, register for tax etc. 

3. By boosting their confidence and motivation using coaching, NLP and hypnotherapy techniques

4. By help them develop clear 3, 6 and 12 month goals, with a detailed plan to get them started.