9 Tips On How To Fire Up Your Passion Project Without Having To Quit Your Job
What made you decide to take the course that you had in University? Is it because that was one of the ‘Most in Demand Courses’ around that time or that was what your parents dream for you to be? What about the job you have now? Is it because that's the best opportunity you had or a good paying one? No matter what your answer is, having a day job is important. This gives us food on the table and money to pay our bills. So no matter where you’re at, let’s look at things from a different perspective and be grateful.
Deep inside, we all have a certain thing that we really want to do but we are afraid to do so. We have tons of excuses not to do it. But like what they say, ‘Forget all the reasons why it won’t work and believe in that one reason why it will’.
For this post, I’ll be telling you about how you can fire up that Passion Project without having to quit your job :)
1) THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU REALLY LOVE TO DO AND WHAT YOU’RE REALLY GOOD AT
Go back to the time when you were you were young and the smell of the baked cookies firing up from your Home Economics’ class makes you happy. Go back to the time when you joined all the sports activities in your annual school intramurals and won most of them. Go back to the time when painting and drawing entice your soul. Go back to the time that taking photos is your ultimate hobby.
Most of us end up doing a job that we don’t really like. It’s good to think about those good old days where you have the time to do what you really love, right? What if you can go back and do it all over again? Will you take the opportunity?
2) IF YES, THEN DO SOMETHING!
Well, even if you want it, you can not go back to those good old days. But the good news is: YOU CAN DO IT AGAIN! Think what you really love to do. Fire up that passion, visualize your dreams, and believe that you can do it again!
If you love baking, then you can go bake goodies and sell them to your friends or online or maybe teach a small group of people. If you love painting or drawing, then you can sell your artwork or set up a Calligraphy Class with your peers. There are plenty of money and opportunities for everyone who knows how to acquire and keep it-- that’s according to the Law of Abundance and I firmly believe in it.
3) STOP MAKING EXCUSES
I know that by now, you’re already making up excuses at the back of your head like ‘I don’t have the time, I don’t have the money, what if my friends don’t support me, what if somebody gets food poisoned from my cookies’ and a whole lot more!
STOP! These worries will get you nowhere. Again, find that reason why it will work in believe in one reason why it will. You have family and friends, start your Passion Project with them-- host a dinner and show your cooking or bartending skills, give them your homemade cake, jewelry, or artworks as gifts. I’m sure one of them will ask you where you got it from and that’s a good sign that you already have a target market :)
4) JOIN WORKSHOPS TO ENHANCE YOUR SKILL
You might think that you’re already ‘rusty’ with your craft and skills. Try it again and if you think you really are, then it wouldn’t hurt to join workshops to improve your skills. The good news is most of the workshops are held on weekends so it wouldn’t get in the way of your day job. For those based in the Philippines, check out Builtable Comaking.
If you don’t have the money to join it then resort to watching youtube videos. I’m sure there’s a video for you out there! The power of the web is just amazing. Remember, NO EXCUSES ALLOWED HERE! :)
5) START SMALL
Don’t get too excited and start small. You wouldn’t want to lose a lot at first as this will make you lose your drive to do it again. Start with 10 batches of cookies, and once it’s sold out, go for 15, 30, 50, until you can manage to produce and sell at least a hundred! :)
6) USE THE POWER OF SOCIAL MEDIA
Do not underestimate the power of small media. Post a photo of your artwork or your baked goods on your social media platforms with the hashtag #NewBeginnings #PassionProject #SupportLocal or anything that will make everyone curious and ask about it. The more they ask and the more they support you, the more drive you will get.
Who knows, your first batch of cookies, handmade jewelry, or artworks could get sold out and pre-paid by your ever supportive family and friends even before you actually start selling them!
7) HAVE A PRESALE
If you’re afraid to put out any money or not having your items sold then why not have a presale?? This way, you won’t have to shed out money as everything will already be sold even before you put them out on sale.
8) MANAGE YOUR TIME WELL
Remember, you have a day job to keep. A Passion Project is usually a side job and you usually don’t earn much from it (sometimes you don’t even earn from it at all!) so you have to manage your time well. Finish your tasks at work fast and stop the unnecessary chitchats. Rather than going out to have lunch, bring your food, eat at your workstation and answer inquiries or post to your social media sites. This way, you’re making use of your time well and are doing everything at the same time. A little sacrifice from you here and it will certainly pay off in the end! :)
9) CONSIDER HIRING PEOPLE
Once your Passion Project turns out to be successful and you’re earning enough from it, that’s the time you should consider hiring people and admit that you can’t do everything on your own.
Having a paid dishwasher will certainly make things easier while you bake or perhaps you can teach people how to bake and work for you while you’re on your day job. A Social Media Accounts Manager can also be very helpful in answering inquiries most especially from stressful people who do not read (eg. Posted Price: 150 and someone will ask how much haha). This way, you can continue doing your day job and your Passion Project at the same time.
You need not choose or compromise your day job for your passion project or vice versa. You can absolutely do both with these helpful tips!
