When it comes to careers, there are four types of people I run into:

1. Those who are unemployed and seeking employment
2. Those who are employed but hate their job
3. Those who are employed but unenthusiastic about their job
4. Those who LOVE their job and can’t wait to start work every day (this is probably less than 10% of people)

If you’re a number 4 type of person, congratulations! You’ve figured out something that very few people do.

If you’re any of the other types, you probably need to keep reading. It just might be the most important thing you learn all day. Let’s go!

Whenever I happen to meet someone who is seeking career advice, I always start by asking them the first question:

1. If money were not even an object of exchange–it didn’t exist–and you don’t have to think about getting a degree… There are no worries at all about the future. And you can do whatever you want all day long… What would you do?

I’ve heard all kinds of responses. Everything from gardening to playing guitar to “doing nails.” (I thought she was referring to carpentry, but she meant fingernails. Shows how much I think about fingernail maintenance. Ha!)

The point is, what you like to do might be something odd. It might be something that not a lot of people around you really do or think about all that much. But there is good news here and it is: We live in an eBay world.

Let me explain what I mean by that.

Whatever the economic condition of our country or whatever your personal situation might be, there aren’t necessarily tons of jobs available, but there is a lot of work to be done. Listen, 20 years ago, if you happened to find a wing nut for a ’57 Chevy in your garage, you probably just would have tossed it aside. After all, you might not have any use for it, and how are you going to find somebody who does? They would have to have pretty specialized interests to need a wing nut for a ’57 Chevy.

Fast forward to today. We live in an eBay world. There might not be anyone in your town who needs a wing nut for a ’57 Chevy, but I guarantee someone on eBay does. And if it’s a rare part that’s particularly hard to find, they might even be willing to pay thousands of dollars for it. The Internet has opened up doors for entrepreneurs that never existed before. So remember, the fact that you don’t know anyone around you who would be willing to pay for the skill you possess does not mean there aren’t hundreds, maybe thousands, out there who would.

Now, I know you’re excited, but the next two questions to ask yourself are critical to YOUR success, so stay with me!

2. You know that thing you’d do all day long? That’s your passion. What value does your passion have for other people?

Value is what separates a hobby from a career. If your passion is gardening, you have to ask yourself how your passion for gardening can translate to value for others.
Going with this same example, if you know someone who loves having a garden and looking at a garden and showing off a garden, but knows nothing about actual gardening, obviously your knowledge and expertise would be of tremendous value to them. How is your passion valuable to others?

Always, always, always, remember to ask yourself what value your passion has for others. And don’t sell yourself short. If you have a passion for something, no matter how obscure, there is almost always someone out there who could benefit from it, will pay you to do it, or will pay you to teach them how to do it themselves!

3. Prove it.

You must prove the value of what you know or do for someone else.

This is the key to cranking a whole new engine in your life. Here’s where you need to learn a little sales (even if it makes you uncomfortable). How can you prove your value? Well, the easiest way is to do it. Just get started and DO IT.

If your passion is gardening, don’t wait for someone to say, “I’ll pay you $1,000 dollars to plant my garden.” Instead…just start gardening! Maybe you work on your own garden for a little while, or you offer to help your mother-in-law or a neighbor with theirs. If you do an outstanding job, trust me, the money will soon follow.

“Actions speak louder than words” is a cliché for a reason. Don’t wait. Go for it.

The sales piece comes in by answering normal questions in unique ways.

Question: What do you do for a living?

Answers:

• I make people happy with yards.
• I’m a yard fluffer. You know how your couch looks better when you fluff the pillows? I fluff yards.
• Or if it is a man you are talking to: I make heroes out of ordinary husbands.

In any case, the deal is to get your talking point on the table. When it’s there, make your pitch. “For an agreed upon price, I create flower beds in your yard. I completely change them twice (three times?) every year. I provide the plants, the fertilizer, and the know how. All you have to do is enjoy looking at it and field all the compliments from your neighbors. And of course, act like the hero you will be to your wife.”

Be ready…because the next question is going to be, “How much?

So…what IS your passion? Isn’t it time to do what you love…and get paid for it?

Now….reread this entire piece and think of helping your child start their own business from something THEY love.