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What’s dangerous about not being passionate? A few words from entrepreneur Evan Carmichael on the problems of getting caught up in a financial opportunity that you don’t really care about.
I think far more dangerous than being passionate too early is not being passionate at all. I see it over and over and over again, and when I think about “don’t fool yourself,” this is what comes immediately to mind for me. Because they say the devil always comes carrying a bag of cash, and you make the wrong decision because you see a pile of money on the table that you think is yours and so you go for it only to find out that you’re never gonna get that money.
I see it all the time where people say, “Join my network marketing company.” You know, you can make tons of cash. It’s easy money, no problem. You know, within three months you’ll be up and running and the money will just keep pouring in. Now there’s nothing wrong with network marketing. It just isn’t the best fit for everybody.And then what happens when you see this opportunity, right, join me on my path. Sell these vending machines or whatever it is. You see a pile of money on the table and you fool yourself into thinking that you actually care about this business. That you actually care about these financial products you’re gonna be selling, or that hand cream that you’re gonna be selling, or the vending machine that you’re gonna be selling.
Right, that you actually care about it. Because there’s financial opportunity you fool yourself to thinking that that’s what you’re meant to do. You say, “Well this is great. “I can be my own boss, and I can drive around the city. “And I get to use products that are great on my hands. “This is everything that I always wanted.”
Well it’s really not. You really don’t care at all about hand cream, and you never did and you never will. And it’s the wrong business for you. Go do something else.
They say the devil always comes carrying a bag of cash, and you make the wrong decision because you see a pile of money on the table that you think is yours.
And I think that’s where people fool themselves. They listen to the opinions of other people, or they read an article and they see that this is the hot trend to get on, and so they go all in on that. And yes, lots of people will make money there. Lots of people will make money in network marketing. Lots of people will make money in apps. Lots of people will make money in virtual reality, or whatever it is.
At the same time people will make money in traditional, old, boring industries too. You can make money anywhere. You can make money in any industry. The most important factor is that you actually care about this business. You care about the customers. You care about the products you’re creating. You’re a user. You’re your own customer. There’s a obvious need here.
You’re passionate about what you’re selling, because if you’re not you’re just wasting your time. And a lot of people waste their money. You have to buy into this thing. You have to buy inventory first, and you get stuck with a garage full of product that never sells and that you have no interest in using either.
And so I don’t want you to fall into that trap. Don’t fool yourself. Make sure that whatever it is that you’re jumpin’ into you actually have a deep connection to. There’s an opportunity, yes, amazing, and you have the commitment, and the passion, and desire to see this thing really work out. That’s my take. So the question of the day today is what do you think most entrepreneurs or a lot of entrepreneurs fool themselves on?
Toronto-based Evan Carmichael #Believes in entrepreneurs. At 19, he built then sold a biotech software company. At 22, he was a VC helping raise $500k to $15mil. He now runs EvanCarmichael.com, a popular website for entrepreneurs. He has set two world records, uses a stand-up desk, rides a Vespa, raises funds for Kiva, wears five-toe shoes and created Entrepreneur trading cards. He loves being married, his son, salsa dancing, DJing, League of Legends, and the Toronto Blue Jays.
What critical thinking do a lot of entrepreneurs fool themselves on? We’d love to hear from you! Leave it in the comments below.stressed business man with laptop