Page 57 - The $100 Startup_ Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love

produce it.

Mignon changed course, trading science for grammar. The answer wasn’t to
abandon her passion altogether but to make sure she connected the right passion
with the right audience.

“Absolute Science” “Grammar Girl”

Passion … but not Passion … and a

enough audience substantial audience

Next, many successful follow-your-passion business owners understand an

important principle that aspiring (and unsuccessful) business owners don’t. The
missing piece is that you usually don’t get paid for your hobby itself; you get
paid for helping other people pursue the hobby or for something indirectly
related to it. This point is critical. I began my writing career by sharing stories
about a quest to visit every country in the world, but I don’t get paid for that. I
have to create value in my business the same way anyone else does—without
real value, I wouldn’t get paid, and the travel would be just a hobby (albeit a
passionate one).

Let’s look at another example. Benny Lewis, originally from Ireland, likes to
say he gets paid to learn languages. Benny’s story is inspiring: He makes more
than $65,000 a year, reports to no one, and goes from country to country
immersing himself in different cultures. But as we look at the story more
carefully, we find that there’s more to it.

I first met Benny on a layover in Bangkok. Benny doesn’t drink, which is
probably a good thing because he is quite possibly the most naturally
enthusiastic person I’ve ever met. Over a couple of mango juices, he told me his
story. Twenty-four years old, Benny had been traveling abroad for the past two
years. As a child, he spoke only English. He graduated with an engineering
degree and no known aptitude for foreign languages. Moving to Spain after
graduation and consulting with clients back home, he became determined to
learn Spanish.

Six months into his stay in Seville, however, Benny felt frustrated with still
not knowing the language, spending most of his time with a group of expatriates
and Spaniards who spoke English. He decided to speak only Spanish for an
entire month, with no exceptions. At first it was awkward and embarrassing; he
didn’t know how to conjugate verbs, so he just used the present tense and wildly
waved his arms behind him to indicate that something had already happened.