It’s OK to Be a Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur
Is it counterproductive to focus on more than one thing as an entrepreneur?
Being a multi-passionate entrepreneur goes against the wisdom entrepreneurs often get about pursuing too many passions. But it’s how I broke six figures in 2020 and 2021.
What it means to be multi-passionate
Many entrepreneurs have interests, skills and talents in more than one area. Before starting a business, the advice I heard was to get known for being good at one thing, and then you can branch out from there. It makes sense, and I agree.
When I introduce myself to people or they ask what I do, I don’t to overwhelm them with my six titles. People can’t absorb all that info when meeting you for the first time. And I didn’t get all those titles at once — I had to figure out what I was passionate about, and address each thing on its own.
Figuring out your passions
One of my talents is voice acting. People had been telling me for years about much they liked my voice and that I should do radio. But I figured you had to go to college and learn broadcasting, or go to an audio engineering school or tech school. I already had my path as a writer, and I wasn’t trying to go back to school. (I have a Master’s and I don’t even use it.) I thought about doing voiceovers for more than a decade before doing anything about it. I didn’t know how to get started. Sound familiar?
Fast-forward to 2015, when I went to a large podcasting conference called Podcast Movement for the first time. That’s where I met another fellow podcaster named Aimee J., and we were in a session she moderated about voiceover (VO). I didn’t follow through with VO that year because I was launching my first podcast, but in 2016, I decided to go for it.
A good friend of mine started running meetups just a few miles from where I lived in Atlanta, and eventually, it developed into the biggest VO conference in the world, VO Atlanta. When the conference first started, I was busy writing and publishing my first two books and speaking, so I didn’t have time to pursue VO even though I was interested.
I finally went to the conference in 2017 and I didn’t know anyone there, but I put my head down, applied my notes, and turned them into action. I started coaching and networking, practicing, auditioning and marketing. I was approved to be a VO Atlanta speaker for 2020, but the event was postponed due to COVID. So I spoke at the virtual conference in 2021.
So how do you know what your passions are? Here are a few things to consider:
- What brings you joy? What do you love to do even if it’s for free? (Just because you love a particular hobby doesn’t mean you have to turn it into a business, but loving what you do really helps!)
- What have you always wanted to learn more about? Explore hobbies and opportunities you held back from or put off. Research something you’ve wanted to do. Read about it, watch YouTube, and even tap a resource for an informational interview (without saying “Can I pick your brain?” Try new things without the fear of failure or worrying about the time commitment you’d expect to accomplish them.
- Once you’ve decided to try something, be persistent long enough to give it a chance. Commit to it for a set period. Go into it knowing that you will face challenges, and remind yourself of your why to get through those rough times.
Deciding between two passions
What if there are two things you’d love to do, but it seems like they don’t go together?
”Talk to people from both of these areas, find out where those two things connect and create that new thing for yourself,” says Jodi Brockington, Founder and CEO NIARA Consulting. “Don’t put yourself in a box by just picking something that’s already there.”
Your DMs can indicate what you’re good at
Here’s the thing about DMs: if people keep sliding into your DMs to ask you how you do what you do, or if you can teach them how to do it, you’re probably onto something!
About two years after starting my VO business, so many people were in my DMs asking me for tips that I was getting burned out trying to help folks with advice — talking to them one by one and answering all their questions. To streamline and protect my time and energy, I now mentor folks who want to start their own voiceover business for a nominal fee.
I also made an e-course called VOcality, but only because there was a demand for the information. Because of all the DM requests and questions, I saw the need, then eventually made videos, live streams and the course. It helped that I was good at writing too. Good writing is a skill that benefits practically any business.
And that’s another thing — you may find that your multiple skills complement each other in different businesses.
How to position yourself as an expert on your topics
As you spend time in your craft, and add more expertise in other areas you can establish your authority.
To be seen as an expert or authority in your field, you have to have thoughts and advice about things happening in your industry, and share them! It doesn’t matter if someone else has already said the same thing. That person does not have the same backstory, experience, opinions and perspectives you do, so your advice will be unique and “hit different” with your respective audiences.
Produce lots of content about the topics you want to be known for. It can be live streams, blogs, podcasts, videos, and social media posts. If you use a video medium, people will connect with you faster and sometimes feel like they know you. But you can stick with audio and/or written content and still establish yourself as an expert on any subject you’re knowledgeable about. You can also establish your authority by speaking at meetups and conferences, and volunteering in your community (locally and/or virtually).
Benefits of having a day job and “hustles”
I’m a big proponent of multiple streams of income. I currently have a full-time job as a UX writer/content designer, and run two businesses on the side: freelance writing and VO.
My old plan was to eventually drop my day job, do VO full-time, and do life coaching and writing on the side (I’m a certified life coach too). I’ve journaled about my dream life and ideal workweek, and that was what I envisioned then. But in 2020, I had a record-breaking year in my business, far beyond what I imagined, and saw what’s possible. I don’t know if you can “have it all” or “do it all,” but I’m definitely more in tune with doing what I want and dropping what I don’t. That’s a big deal for me, because I am big on follow-through and not giving up, but it’s ok to give up on things that aren’t working for you.
I also see how some decisions I made with my career, like staying in one job for two decades, had more to do with security, family priorities and values. But I still took the time to learn other things like self-publishing, podcasting and VO while working from home all those years.
When I shifted my mindset and stopped apologizing for being multi-passionate, everything changed: my outlook, my attitude, and my bank account. As a matter of fact, I hit my first six-figure year in 2020, and did it again in 2021, due to working on my VO craft part-time. It also didn’t hurt that I got a new job in 2021 making more money, even though I stopped marketing my VO work as much. (I knew that before I could leave my old job, I had to pursue a new one and focus on that wholeheartedly.) I’m always learning though — my professional development is a priority. I keep taking classes, upskilling myself, meeting with my VO mastermind group, and staying connected with supportive VO and writing communities on Facebook, Linkedin and Slack.
Asserting your POWER
You don’t need validation from your friends, family or anyone else about your passions. Kick validation needs to the curb by asserting yourself and running your businesses from a place of power:
- P — Position yourself as an expert. (We covered this already.)
- O — Own your story. Don’t worry that some people may get tired of hearing it. No one can tell your story like you, and you don’t know who you’ll help and inspire when they hear it. So keep telling it.
- W — Write your vision and implement a plan. If you need help with strategy or tactics, hire a coach or get a mentor. YouTube university is free, and so are some mentors! Most experts are more willing to help someone who has made an effort and taken the initiative, than someone who is too lazy to do anything.
- E — Emulate, but don’t be afraid to innovate. It’s OK to take wisdom from successful experts who have done your thing before you. But you don’t have to wait for someone else to do it first. You can blaze your own trail!
- R — Realize the difference between revenue-generating activities and everything else. Keep track of your numbers. Metrics can tell you so much about how you’re doing — not just income. Check numbers like email subscribers, podcast downloads and engaged social media followers. Run Google Analytics on your website. Check how many downloads you have on your podcast each week. Keep track of your leads, where your clients come from, and where you need to improve. Learn when your business (and industry) has its slow and busy seasons. Numbers can be scary but they’re very necessary.
Final thoughts
I became a multi-hyphenate — a multi-passionate entrepreneur — by mastering things at my own pace over time. I encourage you to do the same. But you don’t need my permission. Decide on what you want to try, learn that craft, position yourself as an expert, and assert your power!
