Passion is great but it is also the biggest business killer. Here’s why

You’ve heard the lines before: ‘Choose a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.’

‘If your business is your passion you’re going to have the love affair of a lifetime.’

Pfft. I disagree. In fact, when people say they’re passionate about their business idea, my eyes roll so far back into my head, I can see the goblin who controls my brain. 

Why? Because I believe passion is the biggest business killer.

Yes, passion is delicious, fiery and exciting, and gives you a fizz in your belly. But it’s also incredibly short-lived. Just like any new relationship, you begin by wanting to spend every spare moment together, after that it’s looking longingly into each others’ eyes and long walks on the beach. And it’s the same with a new business. You stay up all hours working on your business plan and wasting entire days fiddling with your website and faffing about in Canva.

But passion doesn’t last. One day you will wake up with zero passion for your business. And then what do you do?

You know what else kills passion? Being a parent.

It’s hard to feel the tingle in your undercarriage for a new idea when your battery’s running low. The ‘cut me and I bleed coffee’ state most parents exist in doesn’t lend itself well to feeling enthusiastic and excited.

As a business-owning parent, I have to turn up when I’m tired, unmotivated and uninspired, and when the passion has well and truly died. 

There’s also no quicker way to fall out of love with something you adore doing than by trying to make money from it. 

All relationships become boring after a while – and so do businesses. 

A boring business is often a successful business.

So, if passion doesn’t matter, what does?

For me, it’s predictability, persistence, consistency and hard work. No, they aren’t sexy, but they’re often the key to long-lasting success.

Now, I’m not saying you can’t choose a business idea you’re enthusiastic about. When times get tough, that enthusiasm and a strong belief in your idea may well be the things that keep you going.

But you need to ask yourself: ‘Can I love my idea for the long term?’ Is it a one-night-stand business idea, or can you grow old together (or at least into middle age)?

How I choose my business ideas

These days, whenever I’m considering a new business idea, product or service, passion is rarely a part of my thought process. Instead, I base my decision on three questions:

• Do people want it? There’s no point launching a new range of otter galoshes if there’s no market for them. 
• Will it make money? If you can’t make a profitable margin on each pair of boots, you won’t survive. 
• Will I enjoy it? This is the enthusiasm bit. I need to enjoy what I’m doing. There needs to be a sprinkle of passion. But the additional question embedded here is, ‘Can I keep doing this for a long, long, long, long time?’

The ‘Baby one more time’ approach 

Imagine being Britney Spears. 

This somewhat controversial figure is known for her musical achievements, her tough times and her family challenges. But some will only remember her in a school uniform, shaking her pigtails around and singing ‘Baby one more time’. 

I’m sure that at her concerts, despite having a dozen amazing new tunes, the audience would at some point – probably around song ten – start a low rumble. A few would call out ‘Sing “Baby one more time”!’, and everyone around them would take up the call until they were all shouting it together. 

Now, maybe Britney would know they want this song. It may already be on the setlist. Or maybe not; maybe Britney would rather stick a fork in her thigh than sing that damn song one more time. But she has to because that’s what her audience wants and that’s what makes her money. 

And it’s the same with your business.

In my opinion, the biggest factor for success in business isn’t passion. It’s persistence. It’s: 

• the ability to turn up day after day without motivation or inspiration 
• the ability to treat both success and failure the same; or, as Rudyard Kipling says in my favourite poem, If, ‘Treat those two impostors [triumph and disaster] just the same’ 
• the ability to keep loving your business even after the passion dies 
• the willingness to appreciate reliability and regularity more than excitement

Maybe you won’t have to be Britney. Maybe you’ll get to be Madonna and have a core fan base that lets you evolve and change your style, product or service. Maybe you’ll get to spice up your flagging business with a few new ideas, a rebrand, a staff member, or a side hustle.

But you still have to turn up, even when you don’t feel like it. And that’s why, when thinking about your passion, you should think of Britney.

In conclusion, I think passion is great, but you need to consider how you’ll keep the love alive. Do you agree?

Kate Toon is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, educator and podcaster. Her latest book Six Figures in School Hours is available now.