Franchise & Business Owners: Don’t Worry About Passion

“Your passion for your business is most critical because it will drive your eventual success.”

So said an “expert”.

Who comes up with this stuff? It reminds me of the “expert” who said that most businesses fail for lack of cash flow. Huh? Most businesses fail because the business operators had no clue (no system) about how to operate the business successfully. They had plenty of money, but they ran out because they didn’t know how to invest it.

But I bet they had loads of passion?

And what did that get them? A huge financial loss and the despair that follows.

First thing prospective franchisees and others who plan to start a business should know is to avoid and ignore the “experts”. At least some of them. Instead, seek the advice of people who actually worked in the trenches, who built businesses, who failed a time or two, who made a payroll over and over again, and who understand the basics of how to succeed in a business.

And understand that passion can lead to success . . . or failure. 

Early in my entrepreneurial career, I rented a small office from a guy who owned an insurance agency. Every so often as he was leaving the office at about 6 p.m. he would stop by and say, “If you continue working this hard for another year or two, you’re going to be a great success.”

I know he meant well; I know he was merely encouraging me, but he was clueless.

You may have loads of passion for what you want to do in your business, and you may work 7 days a week at it, but here’s the most important point: If you don’t know what you are doing, and why, and how to do it over and over again, you are not going to succeed. Work your tail off, tell everyone how passionately you love your business, your products, your service, but don’t for a moment think any of that bull translates to financial success.

You want to succeed? Buy a system for success. Or develop a system for success. Of course, there too, you must be careful because all systems are not created equal.

By the way, I’ve identified 12 successful systems in my forthcoming ebook: 12 Amazing Franchise Opportunities for 2015.  

Categorised in: Buy a Franchise, Franchise Compatibility, franchise opportunities

This post was written by Dr. John Hayes