When it comes to career choices, these days there’s a lot of talk about the importance of pursuing your passion. Almost everyone knows someone who has taken the leap to self-employment and never looked back. In fact, the abundance of stories about people giving up the corporate world to follow their dreams is causing those who choose to stick with their day jobs to question whether they might be missing out.

To complicate matters more, technological advances have made it easier than ever to start a small business from home or work from a remote location. This could be adding fuel to the fire, as some would-be entrepreneurs take the plunge without thoroughly thinking things through.

Dreams too close to reality

While the idea of being self-employed is not new, the current environment of instant information has made sharing success stories through various social media platforms as easy as clicking a button. While the success of others can be a great motivator, quitting your day job without a solid plan may not be the best idea.

Passion with a plan

If you’ve always dreamed about starting your own business, it’s important to have a plan in place before taking the plunge. A plan to cover your basic needs (e.g., food, clothing, a place to live and transportation) should be the first thing on your to-do list. Even if you’re single and willing to live a minimalist lifestyle, struggling to meet those basic necessities will cause major stress, take focus away from building your business and put a serious damper on the idea of doing what you love.

Other key planning elements

• Define your offering
• Identify and test target market
• Determine legal requirements
• Assess startup costs

What do you love?

The focus on doing what you love can be a sticking point for those who just aren’t sure what that is. Although some people do have genuine passions that can be channeled into a successful business venue, the truth is most people do not. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t have a successful career.

Loving what you do

While the number of individuals leaving the corporate world is on the rise, it’s not the right decision for everyone. The good news is large businesses aren’t going away, and they need talented, motivated people to fulfill critical roles and help them remain profitable. Instead of focusing on not having a particular passion that’s calling you away from your current job, take a closer look at the value you add and how you contribute to the success of the company. With this new perspective, you might find you already love what you do.

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