Tips To Make Your Passion Your Paycheck

A lot of us employed in a big corporate world dream of having our own business someday where we can be the big boss, own and manage our precious time, and try to make our passion as our paycheck.

I have always wanted that for myself even before retirement sets in. I want my passion to work on my favour. And trust me, it is not easy. I have opened my Etsy shop and closed without earning back the capital. I tried running my small craft business but it only ate so much of my time and effort without really establishing much client base. I have so many failure and still, my heart yearns to do something that makes me happy. And here I am again, pursuing what I always love to do - arts and craft. I think, if it's already ingrained in your system, it's really hard to shake it off.

It is not a walk in the park. You need to consider a lot of factors to be able to reach that goal. I haven't reached mine yet but I am working towards attaining that goal. And here are the steps that is keeping me on my track and helps me get motivated and really focused. This may help you reach your dream too! Let us just assume that you are like me, struggling day in and out to complete a 42-hour work week in a big corporation. Maybe like me, you also want to do what makes you happy. Then these tips can be of help.

Ask yourself, what is it that you really love to do or is very skilled at

I have been deliberating on this thought for some time now. I keep asking myself what is it that I really like and want. And my answer is always inclined to unleashing my creative juices. I love arts. I like making things from scraps. I enjoy hand lettering. I want to pursue many things involving the arts and so, I zoned in on my passion - to have an e-commerce site involving selling of graphics and artsy stuff that I can create using my passion and skills.

So, dig into your psyche. Ask yourself a lot of questions about your passion. Why do you like to do it? Do you have the patience to commit to it? Is it going to be a potential source of income? If you answered yes in most of these questions, then make it as your goal.

Research on how you can convert your passion as a source of income

I researched a lot of cases on how to turn my passion into my source of income. I checked forums and even read plenty of business articles about how to start a business. Take note of success stories of people who have similar passion as yours. Pick up their tips and see what works well for you.

Also remember that following your passion may take a lot of your life's savings to be able to start up on your own. Take the money aspect into consideration when you plan on achieving your goal to convert your passion into your paycheck.

Truth be told, not every passion can be a potential money magnet. Some can be a good hobby to de-stress but not a good means to provide for your livelihood once you get out of the corporate world. Tap into your skill set that you are really good at and see its earning potential.  If you feel that your passion is something that can give you a better life even after your stint in the corporate rat race, then start making that dream happen.

Believe in yourself

I had moments of doubt on what and what I cannot do. Then I realised that by doubting myself, I am also impending my growth and blocking my way to achieving my passionate goal. It is not easy to believe in yourself but when you want to achieve your goal, you just have to.

Believe that your passion is worth the money and make sure that your passion is not just a second-best hobby or past time. Instead, it is a means to get you out of your present quagmire or a step to potentially becoming your own boss.

Learn a skill

If you want to shift to a different direction than your present career and perhaps, you enjoy speaking to a large crowd rather than sit behind a desk tinkering on the computer then maybe you can study on how to be a life coach or develop your public speaking skills. However, if your passion is already a developed skill that you have then make use of it, enhance it further by attending workshops during your off time or attend exhibits or watch tutorials.  And the next step is related to your skill...

Enhance that skill by practising

Practise! Practise! Practise! That is very important if you have a product to sell or a service to provide that will require giving your best.

I always allocate at least an hour of my time several days in a week to practise on my hand lettering, drawing, and learning some software to use for graphic design. Honestly, I am not near to reaching my goal but the mere fact that I have taken the step to be near that goal of finally being my own boss and following what I am passionate to do, I am deeply motivated to succeed!



So, while I am in the process of making my passion work in my favour, what are the steps you've taken to make yours?

5 Tips to Successfully Market Your Blog on Facebook

Using social media – particularly Facebook – to promote your blog can be a really effective way to grow your web traffic and increase readers. While posting your latest blog entry is definitely an essential part of the process, there may be other ways that you can harness social media to build a strong brand.

Photo not mine

1. Start Conversations

Turn your Facebook profile into an engaged, captive community by posting statuses and pictures that encourage your audience to talk not only with you, but amongst themselves. The conversation starters can be serious or frivolous or a combination of both depending on what suits your own brand better. Conversations aren't one sided exchanges – so make sure you join in the chat too.

2. Have A Strategic Plan

An integrated marketing and communications strategy is an essential business tool. Social media activity and campaigns should be part of your overall marketing plan and have goals, measures and outcomes associated with each platform. If you're not sure where to start, consider contacting a full service digital agency like Market Smartly.

3. Share Archived Content

As your audience grows, on both your blog and social media, there is a real opportunity to highlight some of your previous posts to your new readers. Some of the biggest blogs in the business have found that their monthly Facebook reach is now significantly higher than their website visitors, so reposts of relevant articles from the archives can help convert your social media followers to website traffic and keep them engaged.

4. Use Responsive Design

Mobiles and tablets use is on the rise – in fact, it is anticipated that they are quickly going to eclipse desktop and laptop as the primary way people access the internet and are already the dominant social media medium – so being “mobile friendly” isn't enough. It is essential that your blog or website loads quickly and above all else has functionality on any device so that when your followers click your links, they can read your post and comment/interact with your page.

5. Post Relevant Content Often

The Facebook news feed moves quickly so only checking into your page once or twice a week may not be enough to capture the attention of your audience. Multiple posts a day are recommended for maximum impact and engagement. Make sure you vary what you're putting out and have a balance between your own content, topical conversation starters and other fun or relatable pictures, stories or memes.

Knowing how to best utilise each social media platform to get the results you want can be confusing but one of the most important things to remember is to be strategic, but also to be yourself. The interactive, highly personal nature of Facebook makes it a great way to not only share your latest content, but also share part of your personality and have some fun with the people you're trying to connect with.

What’s your best tip for growing your blog’s brand on Facebook?