By Carrie Corcoran

Is this a true statement?  Many people have had the unfortunate or maybe fortunate situation (silver lining) of being laid off from their jobs only to not be able to find another that is of equal income and status.  What does this leave?  This leaves people reinventing themselves and really taking a look at what they are passionate about in life.  It starts with passion and takes hard work, dedication and determination to succeed.  Following your passion is not easy but it can be rewarding. 

We recently met a restaurant entrepreneur who left corporate America to follow his passion.  He started the restaurant 16 months ago and already they are breaking even.  It is rare for a restaurant to break even in such a short period of time when so many new ones fail.  He is using his passion to do what he loves hoping that the money will follow, so far so good. 

Doing what you love hoping that the money will follow is not without risks.  Starting a venture on your own or freelancing in a new area is tough.  If you don’t have experience in the area you are passionate about people will not see you as an expert.  You will have to prove it to them which means possibly doing something for nothing or next to nothing.  As you gain experience and prove to people that you are worth it they will come around and you will make money. 

 “A study of business school graduates tracked the careers of 1,500 people from 1960 to 1980. From the beginning, the graduates were grouped into two categories. Category A consisted of people who said they wanted to make money first so they could do what they really wanted to do later after they took care of their financial concerns. Those in category B pursued their interests first, sure that the money eventually would follow.

What percentage fell into each category? Of the 1,500 graduates in the survey, the money-now category A’s comprised 83 percent or 1,245 people. Category B risk takers made up 17 percent, 255 graduates.

After 20 years, there were 101 millionaires in the group. Only one came from category A, 100 from category B.  This study was conducted by Srully Blotnick who wrote the book “Getting Rich Your Own Way”. 

We want to hear the entrepreneurs doing what they love and how they are using social media to make it quicker, easier and better.  Have you followed your passion and become financially successful.  Please share your story with us.