How do you find the right business idea when you’re multi-passionate?
You need an idea that allows you to:
- Do multiple things under one umbrella – or you’ll get bored fast.
- Feel excited every day – you’ll need that passion when something doesn’t go as planned.
- Make money – if it’s not profitable, you’re running a hobby, NOT a business.
Finding your passion doesn’t work for you. You have too many passions already. Picking one feels like putting yourself in prison. What if you choose wrong?
Doing something you’re skilled at is another dead end. As a multi-passionate, you pick up skills fast. But once you master them, the job gets boring quickly and you’ll be looking for the next thing to pursue.
Capitalising on a trend may lead somewhere … IF you have the capital, resources, or a lifelong interest in it. Most of us, lack at least the third one…
Finding the right business idea is like completing a puzzle. All the pieces – skills, values, money – must fit together. Here’s how:
The Multi-Passionate’s Guide To Finding The Right Business Idea
Step 1: Skills – What Are You Ridiculously Good At?
Skills are the obvious place to start. You can always learn new skills (and you learn them faster than most), but you’ll build your business faster if you capitalise on the skills you have now.
You have skills, talents, and gifts that come easily to you. Some of them are obvious. You’re so good at them, people always ask you for help and advice.
For me, that’s writing. Whenever a friend has to polish her resume, write an official letter, or edit her website copy, I’m the one they turn to.
But other skills are trickier to identify for yourself. They’re like second nature to you, you don’t even realise they’re skills. For example, you may be so good at doing your makeup, you don’t realise other women are struggling to put on their eyeliner (I can’t get a straight line if my life depends on it. Ahem).
Soft skills count, too. Like, being a good listener. Or feeling empathy towards other people’s struggles. Or having a knack for explaining complex ideas in short, easy-to-digest tidbits.
I’d argue that in today’s world, soft skills are more important than ever. Everyone can learn how to write well, but you’re more likely to get the gig if you can listen and understand a client’s requirements, manage their expectations, and have good organizational skills that allow you to meet deadlines.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Here are a few ways to find your skills:
- Ask your friends what you’re ridiculously good at (this reveals skills you have, but don’t recognise yet)
- Make a list of all the skills you’ve gained through hobbies and previous jobs
- Jot down all the certifications you have and awards you’ve won
- Take the Strengths Finder 2.0 Test (there’s a small fee to pay for this)
Related: How To Find Your Strengths
Step 2: Passions – What Makes You Lose Track Of Time?
Just because you’re good at something, it doesn’t mean you’ll want to do it for a living.
For that to happen, another key piece is passion. Do you love what you do so much, you want to do it every single day (or, at least, most days)?
Passion is what keeps you working long hours on your business when you’re first starting out. It’s what makes you say no to going out with friends so you can finish creating your product. It’s what makes you get out of your comfort zone and tell everyone what you do.
Passion makes all your sacrifices worthwhile.
As a multi-passionate, you don’t have any problems finding your passions. If anything, you have too many. How do you pick the right one?!
Hint: there’s no right one. The best business idea for multi-passionates is one that combines multiple passions under one umbrella.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Make an inventory of all your passions:
- The activities you loved when you were younger, but don’t do anymore
- The hobbies you currently love to do
- The interests you’d like to pursue in the future
- The things you collect
- The movies you binge on
- The books you love to read
At this stage, don’t censor anything.
Once you have your lists, look for common patterns:
- If you like to have long conversations with friends, attending networking events, and would like to start a podcast, the common themes are connection and communication.
- If you love to put together fashionable outfits for you and your friends, collect fashion magazines, and never miss an episode of Project Runaway, the common theme is fashion.
- If you’re into entrepreneurship, psychology, teaching, and writing (that’s me!), the common theme is education and fulfilling your potential.
This isn’t your business idea (yet!). But it helps you understand in which area to focus on.
Related: How To Know Which Passions To Monetise
Step 3: Values – What Matters To You?
Just because you’re getting paid for doing something you’re ridiculously good at, doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it or find it fulfilling.
Take it from someone who’s been there. A few years ago, I decided to turn my writing skills into a freelancing career.
I knew what I was good at: writing snappy articles about all things beauty for blogs and online publications.
I knew who would value my services: small beauty business owners who need blog content to attract and convert visitors into paying clients. It was a match made in heaven, right?
Wrong. I still loved writing, but not the articles I was commissioned to write. I wanted to educate women on what to look for in skincare products, debunk hyped marketing claims, and help them adopt good skincare habits. Honesty, education, and integrity are all values important to me.
Instead, I was asked to write about new product releases and… “I know the science isn’t there, but can you write in a way that makes people think this stuff does something it doesn’t? And while you’re at it, why don’t you also mention our competitors use ‘harmful’ ingredients?”
I quickly realised a lot of people don’t care about being honest or making a good product. They just want to make as much money as possible, whatever means necessary.
That’s not how I roll. So, I quit. And then figured out how to use my writing skills in a way that honours my values – no compromises.
TAKE ACTION NOW
When you’re evaluating a business idea, think about this: does it respect or violates my values?
To answer that question, you first need to find your values. Here’s how:
- If you had a magic wand, what world problem would you change?
- Think of 3 people you admire. Why do you admire them?
- Find a value list online and circle the ones that are most important to you. Then, keep eliminating values until only your top 5 remain.
Related: Why You Need To Find Success On Your Own Terms
How To Find The Right Business Idea For Multi-Passionates:
Time to put it all together! By this point, you should have 3 lists:
- A skills list
- A passion list
- A value list
TAKE ACTION NOW
Now, it’s time to look for that sweet spot where your skills, your passions, and your values intersect:
- For every skill on your list, ask yourself, are you still passionate about it? Or is it just something you know how to do, but would rather not do it? If the latter, ditch it.
- For every passion on your list, ask yourself, how skilled are you at it? If the answer is “not much,” ditch it.
- Look at the skills and passions left on your lists. What do they have in common? Are they in the same area? Do they make you feel a particular way?
- If they have nothing in common, how could you pair them together? For example, if you’re passionate about entrepreneurship and beauty (again me!), you can create a business with a strong focus on design. Or, if you’re passionate about life coaching and veganism, you could be a life coach for vegans.
- Now you have a few ideas on how your passions and skills intersect. Ask yourself, does this idea align with my values? Does it allow me to solve a problem or contribute to a cause that’s important to me?
- When you’ve answered yes to these questions, you’ve found your business idea!
How To Validate Your Business Idea
You now have your business idea (or 3). Well done. Just don’t go all in and start your business yet. Before you invest your time and money in it, you need to make sure people will pay you for it.
There’s no way around it: to validate your idea, you need to talk to your potential customers and make sure they want what you offer.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Here’s where to find potential customers to validate your business idea:
- Ask friends who would be interested in your idea
- Ask your network if they know anyone who would need your product and service
- Ask questions in Facebook groups where your potential clients hang out
Find at least 5 people willing to get on the phone with you and ask them:
- How do you feel about [your business idea]?
- What’s your biggest frustration around [your business idea]?
- What have you tried so far to solve this problem?
- What has prevented you from solving this problem so far?
- What’s your biggest goal around [your business idea]?
- How would your life change if you solved this problem?
- What’s your ideal solution around [your business area]?
- Would you be willing to pay to solve this problem?
Be careful with that last question. Most people will say yes because they don’t want to hurt your feelings.
A real yes is money exchanged. If someone is ready to hand over their credit card, you know you’ve found a profitable, multi-passionate business idea.
Wrapping It Up
The perfect business idea for multi-passionates lies at the intersection where your skills, passions (plural), and values meet. When you find that, you’ll have a business that’s fun and profitable.
Still don’t know the work you’re meant to do, so you can build a wildly profitable business that allows you to do work you love, make more money than you ever thought possible, and achieve location and time freedom?
Click here to book your FREE Breakthrough Call with me to discover:
- What business you’re meant to build, based on your purpose and passions
- What’s really holding you back from building a wildly profitable business (it’s usually NOT what you think)
- The plan of action you need to move forward and reach your goals
You’ll come away from the call with crystal clear clarity + a plan of action to build the right business and finally achieve the life of unlimited freedom you’ve always craved.
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