Leadership is one of my other great passions.  It dawned on me ten years ago that I was a terrible leader.  I saw that while my business was expanding, I was not.  I came to see that my company could only expand to the extent that I could, and could also only expand to the extent that I poured into the leadership of others.  Similar to how I submerged myself in Spain during my 2002 residency, I have spent the previous ten years engrossed in leadership. Hundreds of thousands of dollars and innumerable hours were invested on my leadership and the leadership of others in my organization.

These two passions fused in December of 2021 when I announced we would be launching our first ever Ultimate Immersion Experience in Spain  I announced to the leadership teams from all of our companies that we would be taking them on a weeklong adventure filled with fun, sun, culture, cuisine, and history, experiencing Spain in a way that most people will never have the opportunity to.  More importantly, we shared that attendees would be participating in adventures, challenges, and experiences that would push them out of their comfort zone, forcing them and inspiring them to grow in their leadership. 

Ten of us boarded an aircraft in March 2022, crossed the Atlantic, and had an opportunity that will never be forgotten or repeated.  After the Ultimate Immersion Experience proved to be a great success, we made the decision to make it an annual event.  Two of my greatest passions in life have come together to form this experience, and these passions are now a company. 

Let’s now discuss your passion project. Fundamentals and basic concepts are necessary for every business to function, and your passion project is no different. These fundamentals won’t be covered in this week’s blog. You can learn more about these fundamentals by clicking here.

What I do want to share is a few tips and thoughts as you consider jumping into a passion project.

• Start small.  Take your passion, which will now be a product or service, to a small group of ideal clients and get their feedback.  
• Ask yourself, how does this business make you feel?  Are you excited to have your passion now be a business? Many people will say yes, but believe it or not, some have said no.  I have spoken to a number of people who would prefer to keep their passion, just that, a passion, with no tie to business or profit.  That is 100% okay.  I have a couple of those things in my life that are sacred and will never be businesses. 
• Decide how much of your time you will carve out and spend on your passion project.  Do not let it distract you from your other professional or personal commitments.  As your new passion business grows, you can always allocate more time towards it or jump ship from your current job or business.  (I will share more about jumping ship in a few weeks when I launch a new video coaching series.  Keep an eye out.)
• Your passion will be contagious.  A true passion project will have you so excited that people will feel the energy and excitement coming from you.  This energy cannot be made-up or faked. This energy makes it very easy to attract customers to you, and you really will not have to sell anything.  This is always a new business owner’s fear, as they state, “I hate selling!” I promise, when you share your passion with somebody else that gets excited about it, they will be asking you where to buy.
• Don’t let the business kill the passion. When I took my team to Spain in March, I had a moment of realization.  Spain, the place that I love so much, which has always been a place of relaxing, unwinding, and escaping the day-to-day of business, has now become a business.  It now works.  That was a very interesting moment, and one I had to manage with caution.  The last thing you want is to lose your passion for the very thing that you built your business around. Keep a close eye and pulse on this.
• It is okay to keep it part-time.  I know many people who have full-time jobs or companies that fully financially support them, while their passion project is a side hustle where they spend 5, 10, or 15 hours a week.  They keep it small, and it works for them.
• Last, and the most important point, is there something you really want to try, that you are really passionate about, yet you are scared to give it a shot?  Ask yourself this: in 10, 20, or 30 years, will you look back and have regret for not having given it a shot?  If so, take the shot!

For more tips on how to grow your business and advance your leadership, click here to receive my free business and leadership tool kit.