Now first, it IS true… some folks will say, follow your passions and money will flow!
This… is lousy advice. Truly it is. Because for money to follow, you ALSO have to master thingees like, oh, gee, I don’t know…
Marketing it!
Getting the word out. Ensuring that the essence of what YOU provide is where *your* audience will look!
But that’s an whole ‘nother earlobe entirely (playing things by ear, get it?). Here, let’s take a brief walk down… not memory’s lane, hmmmm…. your Inventory Lane!
Here’s how. First:
Dig Into Your Quirks
Ever tried metaphorically choosing an online biz while wearing someone else’s shoes?
They pinch, right?
So, toss those suckers away and snoop around your own mental closet *first*. Grab a notebook, jot every quirk that makes you smile on the inside, and circle the ones you could chat about in excited tons for hours.
I always start by asking, “What hobbies do I vanish into when nobody’s poking me on X.com?” If your answer is rescuing ugly houseplants or ranking retro video games, guess what? You’re holding free rocket fuel for a brand.
Find the Magic Overlap
Next, match those, errr, unique hobbies with talents you already haul around. Maybe you’re the friend who edits everyone’s selfies or the wizard who fixes Wi‑Fi by just glaring at the router (sidenote – my spouse has that ability. It baffles me to no end).
See the overlap? That sweet Venn‑diagram middle is where business magic brews. Test the vibe with mini‑projects: a two‑minute TikTok tip, a tiny Gumroad cheat sheet, whatever feels playful.
The goal is simple:
- Swap “Can I make money with this?”
for
- “Can I solve someone’s headache with this?”
Solving problems for others. That’s where the money lies best.
And finally:
Speak to Your Tribe
To round this out, picture the humans who’ll high‑five you for solving that headache.
Are they:
- Night‑owl coders
- Stay‑at‑home jugglers
- Parents hunting side‑hustles between diaper drills
- Developers moving into market
- Retirees
- 9-5ers who want to escape the rat race
- Neuro-divergent folk who don’t find into ANY known box
etc.etc.?
Here’s the secret so many people ignore:
Speak their language!
Answer their late‑night Google panics with the jargon your targeted audience *uses*. One wouldn’t talk to retirees with solely emoji-speak, and you really wouldn’t talk to developers in New Age speak.
Talk like they do, help them out, and your tribe will spot you faster than kids spot rainbow sprinkles with Magic Shell on top.
And you?
You need to choose a model that fits your energy:
- Coaching
- eMail Coaching
- Printables
- Digital Products
etc.etc.etc. ie, whatever works best for you! Not your mentor, not the guru of the year, not your network, not your family, not your friends who never encourage you anywhos….
*YOU*.
That place where can connect your inner uniqueness, and your own super-power that seems to escape everyone else.
When you then see your audience line up, boom!
You’ve found the business that feels like home and brings in the income to help with your bills.
Feel great! Because that is one excellent beginning.
Enjoy!
ps – I really love these videos by Mike Rowe about it all:
