So much has been written these past years about how to turn ones passion into a career, and with the rise of social media it now seems that more people than ever are quitting the 9 to 5 and creating their own careers based on their passions and goals in life. It only takes a few moments scroll on Instagram and you’ll find plenty of motivational quotes, life coaches and self-styled travel experts making a living from what they love. Unfortunately what you don’t see is the hard work that goes into these glossy exteriors or that for every successful social media career there are a dozen by the wayside.
I always knew from a young age that I wanted to work for myself and growing up I was surrounded by a lot of self-made people who were living the life I knew I eventually wanted. I co-founded and launched KINN in the spring of 2017 (just after my 24thbirthday!) and I certainly wouldn’t look back, or change a thing, but after two years I thought I would give my tips on how to turn your passion into a career.
- First, if you’re thinking you’d like to make your hobby into a career ask yourself if you really, genuinely would be happy to work on that hobby full time, sometimes hobbies are best left as that, but if they really spark your passion and you spend your time wishing you could do nothing but that, then certainly look into monitising it.
- Don’t expect success overnight. This goes without saying, but don’t fall into the trap of sitting on Instgaram watching as everyone else seems to so easily achieve their goals. Sure, for some luck has catapulted them that bit quicker, but for most it’s taken quite a lot of hard work to get the to seemingly “easy” bit.
- Research, research, research! You’ve got an idea now really dig deep and see if there is room for it, what makes your idea unique, why should someone pay you for your service/craft/skills, what’s special? Are there other businesses doing what you propose to do, and if so what are they doing well, what are they going poorly and what can you do better?
- Educate yourself. Running a business is not for the faint of heart, and whilst there is a certain amount you can learn on the go, picking up a book once in a while relating to an area you need to grow in business wise will do you only favours.
- Know when to listen to yourself, and when to take advice: Everyone and their dog has an opinion and they all think they will know best. Some will genuinely have some fantastic advice, most will just be noise. The trick is knowing how to nod politely and thank someone for their remarks, and when to truly sit down and listen and learn from their knowledge. But most importantly, you need to be able to translate advice and education into success for you, copying someone else will only ever result in flattery by imitation.
- Be flexible: The road to turning your passion into a career is paved with bumps, jumps and brick walls. Be flexible in how you navigate these and you’ll find that you’ll not only learn from your mistakes, but the next time you face a wall it may be just that bit easier to climb or dig under. Let your idea grow and mature, just because you started off with one vision in mind and now find yourself hurtling towards something different, doesn’t mean that this is a bad thing.
- My final piece of advice: Stop following accounts on Instagram that promise/allude to overnight success and make it look like every “hustler” and “entrepreneur” has an idea and turns into multi-millionaire in a month. It’s a load of rubbish and no amount of inspirational quotes give those accounts any real substance. Instead, follow people who genuinely inspire you because they actually have something to say.
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Words by Sophie Lavabre-Barrow