“There is no passion to be found in playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”~ Nelson Mandela

I’ve taught my daughters for years to “find something you love to do and then figure out how to get paid for it, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.” Gavin believed in that adage as well.

He was the rare combination of right and left brain and double-majored in art and finance. While Gavin was content sussing out future values and P/E ratios, his passion lay within art. Doodling, sculpting, painting, it mattered not what medium he worked with. If his creative side was channeled, Gavin was happy.

Fresh from receiving his degrees, Gavin opened an art-supply store in his metropolitan hometown. He had the background, financing, and location to make the store successful. The prospects of competing against the chain stores and online merchants didn’t faze Gavin much. He was charismatic and shared his love of art with his customers. The store held classes and art exhibits for customers of any skill level. The art-supply store became a community unto itself. Yet, within five years, the store was padlocked, and Gavin was broke.

What happened? The same presence of traditional and online competition existed as it had the day the store’s doors opened. The niche market for the store’s business model had not gone away; in fact, the city Gavin called home was experiencing a booming economy and influx of new residents. Market forces weren’t at work in the store’s demise. In fact, local market realities suggested the story should have been in growth mode.

The answer lies within his passion for his work. Gavin became his own customer. He forgot that he was running a business, and became one of his best clients. He spent so much time, and company money, enjoying himself in his own store that he forgot the details—generating new clients, paying taxes, controlling expenses, managing inventory, and all the other dotted I’s and crossed T’s that make or break a business, big or small.

So, yes; find something that you love to do, and do it. But remember that you are the business first and the client second.

Consider this …

1. What details in your business are you prone to overlook or forget about?

2. How would you spend your time if all of the detailed tasks were handled by someone better at doing them than you?

3. How can you get these details covered by someone else, so that you can focus on the things you’re best at doing?

For more, check out The Top Performer’s Field Guide, The Innovator’s Field Guide, or visit www.JeffStandridge.com.

(Originally published in The Innovator’s Field Guide.)