Passion is an important component, a strong motivator and a key beginning to the journey of setting up a business. Bottling the paradise of my youth and selling it as a safari and lodge is a huge task. It takes
a long time and consumes a lot of energy and money.
Initially, passion is enough but as you start to run a professional business you need to grow up. You have to temper the romance with practical things, balance sheets, what the market wants and not what you want. What sells and what doesn't? That's the key question for survival. It's at this point that one's passion risks becoming a chore.
As the dream becomes a business you must separate what you enjoy from what makes the business a reality. This requires a big change in attitude. So the areas that are mundane have to be treated as necessary tasks – but do this with good grace. There's always an upside and a downside in trying to turn your passion into profit.
Balance this approach with areas that you're passionate about, which inspire you, that you're good at, which help build value for your business. For me, that's creating unique experiences for clients and for finding world-class locations for lodges. While it would be a perfect marriage to set up a business with soul and add a spreadsheet, the vital thing is to keep business and passion at a distance. That helps you win on both fronts.
Praveen Moman is founder of gorilla experience travel company Volcanoes Safaris
We work in a profession dictated by expectations and the bottom line. Passion that leads to profit is the optimal outcome for anyone. A career choice based on a passion enables you to love what you do – success is more probable when you enjoy work. Every business has laborious chores related to its day-to-day running, but to colour the entire operation as "a chore" misses the point.
I enjoy being in the design industry and find that indulging my passion for making people's lives better by improving their environment helps me make a good living. Because I can profit from my business, I have been able to expand the company substantially and although this increases the daily "chores" of running a business, it also adds new dimensions through which I can indulge my passion for design to an even greater degree.
When you indulge your passion then work becomes something you love to do. When you love to do something, you enjoy immersing yourself in that work. It becomes a part of you, and this increases the likelihood of success.
As long as you are transparent, work fairly and treat your employees well then profiting from a business based on your passion is the best outcome you could hope for, and always a joy. Mark Zuckerberg never sacrificed his passion for profit but ended up being hugely successful and loving what he does.
Faiza Seth is founder and chief executive of luxury interior design company Casa Forma
