In April of 2019 I quit my decent paying, reliable corporate job to pursue a “passion” and start my own business.
I had convinced my wife — and myself — that remortgaging our house to pursue this passion was a good idea.
I had convinced myself I could replace my income within a year of starting this business.
Well…
I had zero customers.
I had zero plans.
All I had were some skills — and a “passion” — I thought I could monetize.
Turns out great businesses aren’t built with amateur skills and passion alone…
After 5 stressful and challenging months, I quit.
I quit my own job. Passion turned into misery.
I had spent more than double what my revenue over those 5 months starting that business.
But the lesson I learned was priceless.
“Follow your passion” is bad advice.
I read two books that help explain why I failed at following my passion — and I highly recommend you read them if you’re going to start a business.
Book #1: The E-myth Revisited by Michael Gerber.
Book #2: So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport.
THE E-MYTH REVISITED
I won’t dive deep, but you should know that “E-myth” is short for Entrepreneur Myth.
Fitting for me: I longed to be an “entrepreneur” when I left my corporate job and pursued my passion.
“How cool it will be to answer to no one, call my own shots and do what I want?! And I can call myself an entrepreneur!”
Oh the prestige!
Well turns out I had fully bought in to the E-myth.
The myth that an entrepreneurial spirit and mindset is all you need to succeed. For me, it was sexy, simple, naïve and profoundly ignorant.
The 3 Types of Business Personas
Gerber explains there are 3 types of business personas required to successfully start, build, and operate a successful business:
