Vera: One thing most people agree on is that starting your own business or living from doing what one loves is challenging and risky; you believe it can be fun. How so?
John: With the economic instability and speed of change in the world today there is nothing more risky than sticking it out in a job you don’t enjoy and hoping your company continues to need you. Starting your own business does not need to be risky at all, particularly for a lifestyle business – something that you enjoy doing with a manageable workload, that doesn’t require large upfront investment and that can make you a six figure income or more. The key is to get started on the side before you leave your job. Finding and launching such a business is a lot easier than most people imagine – as I lay out in my programme Find Your Money-Maker.
Vera: Part of your ‘’profit from doing what you love’’ philosophy is developing ‘’player’ thinking’’? How does one do that and tell that they now have the right mindset?
John: We are all born with the skills we need to be an entrepreneur – the ability to know what we want and the willingness to try out everything we can think of to get it. This is what I mean by being a ‘player’. The problem is that the education system then brainwashes us to become passive workerbots who look to others for permission to take action. I show people how to return to the more natural and playful approach for finding the things we love and making money out of them.
Vera: You coach people to do what they love and get paid for it. Where do you get your own motivation to keep living what you preach and teach?
John: We live in a remarkable moment in history. There has never been a better time to do what you love. The internet and other technologies have made it possible to conceive of any idea and make it happen in some form – even if you have to start with a smaller test project to begin with. And now there are dozens of ways to make money without a job that didn’t even exist ten years ago. Despite this most of us are wasting this incredible opportunity. My passion comes from showing people how to do the things they truly love and care about right now – and turn them into an income. Helping people quickly create a really cool book, blog, website, event, app, product, or service and seeing the results is endlessly exciting for me! Although this is at the heart of what is now a 6-figure business for me, it’s something I’d be doing even if I won the lottery and didn’t need another penny in income. That’s what I call ‘getting paid to play’.
John’s profile
John Williams is Founder of the Ideas Lab. John started his career in creative technology as a developer on pioneering special effects software including on-site work at Disney Feature animation and broadcast automation. He became Digital Media CTO before moving to head up a media technology consultancy at Deloitte. John left to consult independently to broadcasters around the world before founding The Ideas Lab and writing his bestselling book, ‘’Screw work let’s play’’. John is passionate about helping execute good ideas to change the world. More on John’s work at www.theideaslab.org and www.screwworkletsplay.com
For more information on Vera Ng’oma’s work and resources in leadership, personal and career development and excellence building, click here.