The Reality of Doing What You Love, Part 3: Building Your Business

....Annnnd we're back. Back to life, back to reality (remember that song?), because today, we tackle Part 3 of our "The Reality of Doing What You Love" series. 

In Part 1 of this series, we talked finances. In Part 2, we discussed scheduling woes. Part 3 is unique because without Part 3, Part 1 and Part 2 don't matter quite as much (if you don't have any biz, your schedule and finances don't matter as much)--or on the flip side, they become much more important (if you don't grow your business, your financial situation gets worse, your schedule becomes scarily open, and you simply cannot succeed at doing what you love).

So, what exactly are we talking about here when we say "Building Your Biz"? We're talking about that moment when the rubber hits the road, when the sheet hits the fan, when reality sets in after you quit your day job to pursue what you love, and you realize that in order for your new venture to succeed, it's all on you and you've gotta make things happen.

Yikes.

Yes, this is exciting and fabulous and can be glamorous to an outsider reading a blog, but it can also be really scary. You've gotta hustle. Thus, today we're talking about the growing pains of doing what you love and the non-financial, non-scheduling-related logistics of making it happen. Let's jump right in...

Don't know much about social media/marketing/website-building? You need to learn STAT. 
If you want to succeed in today's market--when it comes to anything and everything--you must climb aboard the online train. This means diving headfirst into social media, getting a website, starting a blog that shares what you do, putting yourself out there. If you're someone who doesn't want to do this, then maybe going out on your own isn't for you. {Unless you're an ice fisherman or something that has NOTHING to do with connecting online.} 

When you pursue what you love and become a solopreneur, you are your marketing team. If you don't know how to do something, most likely, you need to learn, unless you have the $ to pay someone else to do it (which in the beginning, you usually don't). 

If you aren't on Facebook and hate Twitter and are totally against learning how to do these things, then you're going to have a hard time creating a biz in the current landscape--unless you've already made a huge name for yourself, or have others who will manage promotions for you (i.e. an art gallery or store or something). 

Bottom line: social media can be overwhelming and annoying, but being active in the social, online world is a reality of being an entrepreneur these days. This is why I'm on Twitter. Sigh. [Now you understand...]

Sometimes, you have to give the milk away for free...
Although it seems counterintuitive, often you have to give your goods/services away for free (or at a steeply discounted rate) at first, in order to get yourself out there. Sure, there are exceptions to this rule, but there's a lot of competition out there, so in order to build your portfolio or amp up your experience, you may have to giveitawaygiveitawaygiveitawaynow (remember that song?) for a bit. 

This is why many solopreneurs have blogs--when you give out free content that allows you to connect with a community of like-minded individuals, you allow the right kind of people to find you and see what you do with no strings attached. If you sit back and hold all of your expertise or creations close to your chest, waiting for people to approach you and give you their $ for what you're hiding behind Door #1, your business will most likely fail. 

It can be a lot of work compiling free content, or putting together sample items to give away at an event or to send to local shops, but this is often a part of making it happen. 

Must. Keep. Working.
Unlike traditional office jobs, one of the things that you simply cannot do when you work for yourself is stop working. If your current # of clients , jobs, or projects starts to slow down, you can't slow down. You must keep going. Sometimes that may mean starting a new marketing campaign or social media push to gain more clients, sometimes that may mean starting a new painting series, or launching a new e-course, or looking for a new part-time gig to help bridge the gap between busy seasons, but no matter what it may be, you have to keep going.

The main exception to this, of course, is if you work in a seasonal industry where you make the majority of your income during a couple of months of the year. But if this doesn't describe your line of work, then yes, be prepared to keep things fresh, year-round. 

If this sounds challenging, that's because it is. 

Cast a wide net.
Specialization can be a great thing--it really can. I've discussed this topic on the blog before, so I won't go into a long debate about it now, but I've decided that for the most part, generally speaking, when you are pursuing a life of doing what you love, you have to cast a wider net. 

For instance, if I just relied on teaching yoga for my income, I would have to teach A LOT more than I'm teaching now and I think I would start to get burnt out (as I did when I first started teaching and went crazy). Teaching yoga is exhausting and doing it 100% full-time is really, really hard. 

However, by also doing some consulting, selling my paintings/taking commissions, doing a bit of design work, and making the occasional bit of money through blog ventures, I'm able to make a normal salary without putting too much pressure on any one thing. 

This isn't easy and it can often leave me feeling spread pretty thin (again, not so glamorous), but I still love every bit of what I'm doing, so I think it's worth it. 

Oh, and speaking of pressure...

Join me in the pressure cooker. 
When you turn your passion into a job, sometimes, things can change. When you have to create on cue, on schedule, your creative juices can dry up. When teaching yoga becomes your way to make a living and you have to teach even when you're sick--because you need the money--it can become less enjoyable. When taking photographs is no longer a hobby, your perfectionism can drive you mad. When you're not just baking for your family, you may have to face some less-than-stellar reviews every once in a while.

It's important to know that these sorts of things can happen. They may not, and if you do more than one thing, I think that can definitely help, but for the most part, you just have to get used to living under pressure when you strike out on your own. 

Sure, the pressure is usually coming from an internal source--and I know I would prefer to feel pressure that I impose on myself than pressure that a boss imposes--but still, it's there, nonetheless, and it's a big part of doing what you love. Get ready for it.  

...And thusly, we come to the end of our 3-Part Series. 
I hope this series has helped you to see both sides of the "doing what you love and loving what you do" coin. 

As I said in my first post, it's not all sunshine and bunnies in self-employment-land, and sometimes doing what you love can lead to more stress, more craziness, and more pressure than life before making the leap--but I still believe there's just nothing like spending your time doing what makes you happy.

And despite all of these realities, and all of the less-than-fantastic parts of working for yourself, I remain amazed at how much more enjoyable, fulfilling, and purposeful my life is now that I do what I love on a daily basis. 

No amount of stress is worth wasting your life in a job that zaps your life energy and leaves you feeling empty.