How to Transform Your Passion into a Successful Business

Starting your own business is like jumping on an emotional rollercoaster with the highest of highs and lowest of lows -- all the while, wondering if the ride will come to a screeching halt. Anyone can start a business but it’s infinitely harder to grow and sustain it. When a company faces challenges and falls on hard times (and it always does), it’s your passion and commitment that ultimately get the business through to the other side. If you don’t have a true passion for your business, everyone can sense it: your customers, team, advisors and investors.
That's why focusing on your mission is of the utmost importance. This will enable you to make faster decisions and help you manage through the rollercoaster ride.
Here are three steps to help transform your passion into a successful business:
Do you know enough? If not, start asking. You have a passion and want to start a business! Do you know enough about the industry? With industry background and know-how, you’ll be ahead of the curve and can hit the ground running -- producing products, building a customer base and forging your company vision.
If you have a great idea, but aren’t familiar enough with the field to get started, use your network, speak with people who’ve started businesses in your industry to help you get up to speed quickly. This is like building an informal advisory board of people who’ve gone through a journey similar to the one you’re embarking upon.
When I started NatureBox with my college buddy, Ken Chen, food was a passion of ours, but we honestly didn’t know much about running a food business. We began networking and discussing our idea with seasoned industry innovators to glean insights and learn strategies, tips and tricks for successfully running a food company. Our big breakthrough came when we attended a food tradeshow and met a few suppliers who were willing to work with us. Until then, we didn’t know how to find manufacturing partners.
Jump in. There’s really no better way to start than diving in head-first. In the beginning, you may not have your exact plan mapped out, and you’ll likely make significant changes to your model. But the benefit of starting a business around a passion is that you know why you’re doing it and can more easily overcome barriers that come up along the way. It’s this deep-rooted drive and enthusiasm that will keep you motivated and engaged with the product you’re selling.
Ken and I held other full-time jobs when we built the first NatureBox website. We used product photos taken on our cell phones. We were testing whether there was a market for people who wanted nutritious snacks delivered to their door and immediately saw opportunity -- more than 100 people signed up in a weekend. Now we had to decide if we were going to send our first orders or simply refund the customers, writing this off as a successful first-run test. This is where taking the plunge, is so important. There really is no better time than now to just go for it.
Surround yourself with others who share your vision. It’s no coincidence that everyone at NatureBox has an interesting story about how food shaped their lives -- whether it’s a personal weight loss journey like myself, food experience from a previous professional career, or a background growing up in an agricultural environment. We hire based on these shared experiences because they help shape the business.
Because you can expect long work hours and hard days in the beginning, personal drive and shared similar values with your colleagues will see you through this time. This enthusiasm translates to a positive customer experience. And that's what will build your business.
Turning your passion into a successful business not only allows you to be profitable while doing something you love, it helps set you up for lasting success. Most importantly, passion is central to making decisions that are in the long-term interest of the customer and the company, which will help you establish sustainability and longevity for your brand.

A 7-Year-Old's Inspiring Dream to Be an Entrepreneur

For a lot of kids with entrepreneurial aspirations, the lemonade stand is the go-to business idea. Not so for 7-year-old Ryland Goldman. This kid has bigger plans.

When his family recently moved to Los Gatos, Calif., Ryland spotted a golden business opportunity: lots of foot traffic. His family lives a block away from Ryland's elementary school. Every morning a steady flow of parents and their children stream by their house.

Opportunity? Check. But Ryland also has big dreams. His parents say Ryland has wanted to open his own restaurant since he was just 3 years old. So, when dreams meet opportunity, sometimes businesses are born.

Not every day, but as frequently as his parents allow him, Ryland gets up early and bakes foods like biscotti, muffins and brownies. He gets coffee and juices, prints up a menu and sets everything out on a folding table near the sidewalk in front of his home. Ryland's Restaurant is open for business. Some mornings he pulls in more than $100.

"I think he is a future entrepreneur," Ryland's principal, Kit Bragg, told a local NBC news program. Future? I think he's an entrepreneur right now.

Get inspired by this boy's passion for food and business by watching the NBC Bay Area news report. It's less than four minutes long and worth every second.

We Asked, You Answered: 10 Workspaces That Get Your Creative Juices Flowing

Inspiration. It's something that compels you to do or create something.

Maybe it's the way the sun rises over the mountains within sight of your office window. It could be a simple note from a mentor or a friend. Perhaps it's a picture of loved one who encourages you to be better. Or maybe it's just some tchotchke in your office that reminds you of when you first started up.

Wherever it comes from, inspiration is the fuel that entrepreneurs operate on.

Not too long ago we asked you, our readers, to submit pictures of your inspiring workspaces. Using the hashtag #ENTatWork, you took to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and did just that.

We've sifted through all those great pictures and, quite unscientifically, selected 10 that stood out to us most -- in no particular order. Perhaps you'll find a little inspiration from the workspaces that help encourage some of our readers.

Quit Being a Scraggly Entrepreneur and Other Must-Read Business Tips

A roundup of the best tips of the week from Entrepreneur.com.
As on the dating scene, looking good is an easy way to stand out from the crowd. That could mean sporting a well-fitted suit or the right pair of shoes, but at a minimum it means being well-groomed and presentable. "Just because you may not be pitching an angel investor or VC every day doesn't mean it's acceptable to look like a mess," says Thomas Edwards, the founder of Confidence Unchained, an executive coaching firm. "You never know who you'll meet at any given moment and it's pivotal for your confidence to know you're looking good."
Similarly, your smile is one of your most effective tools for making people see you in a positive light. A great introduction to that key investor or potential client can hinge on a smile. Smiling makes you a better leader, too. "Even in the most strenuous of circumstances, smiling can put everyone around you -- including yourself -- at ease," Edwards says. "Then, you're in a position of influence to make decisions people will trust."
5 Simple Steps to Be a Super-Confident LeaderTake advantage of the FOMO phenomenon.
As a business owner, your first few partnerships will be the hardest to get. But once you have those, you can use them to get interest from other potential partners, says David Chait, the co-founder and chief executive of group travel tool Travefy. This works because companies, like people, often suffer from FOMO, or the fear of missing out on a good thing. But partnering with a startup also comes with risks, and it's easier for a large company to feel confident if other partners are already onboard. "Take advantage of the FOMO phenomenon and shamelessly leverage your existing partnerships to build additional ones," Chait says. 5 Secrets to Landing the Perfect PartnershipA product company needs more than one product to survive.
Nowadays, Kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites are full of cool ideas for gadgets. The first task of an inventor entrepreneur is to develop a product and bring it successfully to market. But once that is done, "you will need to immediately start developing follow-up products in order for your company to survive," says Christopher Hawker, the president of Trident Design, LLC, a product development and commercialization firm. "You have to keep adding new items every year in order to stay relevant and ahead of the innovation curve." And if you don't have any additional ideas yourself, you had better start thinking about where you are going to source them. 3 Things You Need to Know About Launching a Product BusinessFind inspiration by getting out of your office.
It's easy to get lost in the technological tumult of 21st-century life, but when you need inspiration for your next big idea or project, it helps to get away from it all, says Steve Tobak, a managing partner of Invisor Consulting, a Silicon Valley-based management and strategy consulting firm. Either take a walk, put yourself through an intense workout or just bask in nature. A beautiful landscape" has a magical way of drawing you in and making you feel part of something alive and wonderful," Tobak says. Exercise will clear your head and a little time in the natural world will put things into perspective. Need Inspiration 
Here Are 9 Ways to Find ItMotivate your employees by showing gratitude.
Companies who can't inspire loyalty in their employees are bound to lose them -- or at least the most talented ones. You can forestall the brain drain by showing appreciation for the efforts of your staff. One way to do this is to foster wellness by paying for nearby yoga classes or subsidizing (partially or wholly) your employees' gym memberships. You could also upgrade the office lighting (no hideous fluorescents!) or eliminate a time-sucking errand by offering dry cleaning drop-off and pick up at the office. "Even in this climate with higher unemployment, people can change jobs," says Victoria Krotzer, an independent human resources consultant at Maximum Business Consulting in York, Pa. "You want to encourage loyalty, and appreciation from the manager and the company can do that."

How to Transform Your Passion into a Successful Business

Starting your own business is like jumping on an emotional rollercoaster with the highest of highs and lowest of lows -- all the while, wondering if the ride will come to a screeching halt. Anyone can start a business but it’s infinitely harder to grow and sustain it. When a company faces challenges and falls on hard times (and it always does), it’s your passion and commitment that ultimately get the business through to the other side. If you don’t have a true passion for your business, everyone can sense it: your customers, team, advisors and investors.
That's why focusing on your mission is of the utmost importance. This will enable you to make faster decisions and help you manage through the rollercoaster ride.
Here are three steps to help transform your passion into a successful business:
Do you know enough? If not, start asking. You have a passion and want to start a business! Do you know enough about the industry? With industry background and know-how, you’ll be ahead of the curve and can hit the ground running -- producing products, building a customer base and forging your company vision.
If you have a great idea, but aren’t familiar enough with the field to get started, use your network, speak with people who’ve started businesses in your industry to help you get up to speed quickly. This is like building an informal advisory board of people who’ve gone through a journey similar to the one you’re embarking upon.
When I started NatureBox with my college buddy, Ken Chen, food was a passion of ours, but we honestly didn’t know much about running a food business. We began networking and discussing our idea with seasoned industry innovators to glean insights and learn strategies, tips and tricks for successfully running a food company. Our big breakthrough came when we attended a food tradeshow and met a few suppliers who were willing to work with us. Until then, we didn’t know how to find manufacturing partners.
Jump in. There’s really no better way to start than diving in head-first. In the beginning, you may not have your exact plan mapped out, and you’ll likely make significant changes to your model. But the benefit of starting a business around a passion is that you know why you’re doing it and can more easily overcome barriers that come up along the way. It’s this deep-rooted drive and enthusiasm that will keep you motivated and engaged with the product you’re selling.
Ken and I held other full-time jobs when we built the first NatureBox website. We used product photos taken on our cell phones. We were testing whether there was a market for people who wanted nutritious snacks delivered to their door and immediately saw opportunity -- more than 100 people signed up in a weekend. Now we had to decide if we were going to send our first orders or simply refund the customers, writing this off as a successful first-run test. This is where taking the plunge, is so important. There really is no better time than now to just go for it.
Surround yourself with others who share your vision. It’s no coincidence that everyone at NatureBox has an interesting story about how food shaped their lives -- whether it’s a personal weight loss journey like myself, food experience from a previous professional career, or a background growing up in an agricultural environment. We hire based on these shared experiences because they help shape the business.
Because you can expect long work hours and hard days in the beginning, personal drive and shared similar values with your colleagues will see you through this time. This enthusiasm translates to a positive customer experience. And that's what will build your business.
Turning your passion into a successful business not only allows you to be profitable while doing something you love, it helps set you up for lasting success. Most importantly, passion is central to making decisions that are in the long-term interest of the customer and the company, which will help you establish sustainability and longevity for your brand.