The Passionpreneur (A.k.a. Getting off the 9-5)

I was talking to an officemate earlier today about starting a business. Another colleague of ours recently tendered his resignation citing he needed to focus on one of his budding businesses as his reason, and the thought of entrepreneurship came to her (like the Holy Spirit descending upon the Apostles... only less holy and more greedy).

Her first question was how she could get money without doing any actual labor. I was tempted to retort, "Have you tried the lotto?" when she explained herself a bit further. Our recently-resigned colleague's business is... tadah-dahdum... a spa; they're opening up a branch somewhere in QC and he's going to be basically in charge of it. Safe to say, though, he won't be the one doing any of the actual massaging. At least we hope not. So that's what she meant. Money coming in from a business where the owner isn't doing any of the manual involved. Basically be the manager of her own business.

Of course I couldn't help but chime in with my thoughts.

I believe there are two types of entrepreneurs. There are those who simply have a knack for business: gleefully diving headfirst into any business opportunity, whether its a sari-sari or hardware store, a load-a-phone franchise, or a spa, and getting ROI by the 5th monthsary. These are the businessmen who treat business as a field, the same way marketers treat marketing like a field. Coffee is coffee is coffee to the regular folk, but a marketer knows how to position a Starbucks Komodo Dragon from a Nestle 3-in-1. These businessmen-by-profession only have one goal in any project they get into: turn a profit.

Then there are the entrepreneurs who start a business based on a passion. These are the people who don't necessarily have a business degree, admittedly know nothing about starting a start-up, and look at the 30% profit margins last. All they know is, they're tired of the day job that stresses them out incessantly from 9-5 and would simply rather be doing something else. I call them the passionpreneur, and their journey starts with a simple question: What would rather be doing on everyday than this?

Doing = Labor. But then again, its laboring over something one loves. Something one is passionate about.

Passionpreneurs are the likes of Chris Guillebeau, Sweetapolita, Carlos Celdran, the folks of Las Casas Bataan, U2, JK Rowling, Steve Jobs and Seth Godin. Businessmen-by-profession are Richard Branson, MVP, Donald "You're fired" Trump, and now our officemate who's resigning to do this spa thing. His other businesses include a restaurant and a bar. We kinda wonder why he wanted a day job in the first place.

If I were to choose a path to take to get off the 9-5, I would choose to be a passionpreneur. Not that the other way is the wrong way. I'd just rather be focused and work on what I really want. Now, to answer the question, what WOULD I rather be doing on a daily basis than this?

I think I'll save that for another post. I know it already. I really, really do. :-)