How to Turn Your Passion into a Business

Some people seem to be born knowing exactly what they want to do in life, while others take a bit longer to sort out their priorities. But no matter when your passion strikes, if you are an entrepreneur, you will want to utilize that passion in your business.

When Gail Sexton Anderson relocated to California, she moved right next door to a woman who owned a company that specialized in finding egg donors or surrogates for people who could not have a child naturally. Gail’s neighbor offered her a job, and once Gail began working in third-party fertility, she found that she loved being able to help people in this way.

Eventually, Gail realized that people who were looking for an egg donor or a surrogate didn’t have many advocates and did not always feel heard and understood throughout the process. Fourteen years ago, Gail decided to start her own egg donor and surrogacy business, Donor Concierge, to address that gap in the market of third-party fertility. And in 2020, she launched Tulip, an online database that offers resources and education to people interested in third-party fertility who may not easily have access to that information.

Throughout these ventures, Gail’s passion has been to offer people help and resources to assist them in their search. Below are her tips for how an entrepreneur can use their passion to start a business.

Look to your own experiences

What a person is passionate about is often influenced by their own experiences. The things that you have experienced can make you uniquely aware of needs that others might not notice, and as an entrepreneur, you have the opportunity to address those needs with the business you create.

Gail’s own journey with fertility influenced her desire to help other people, as she suffered a miscarriage when she was pregnant with her second child. Gail’s experience made her aware of how difficult and isolating it can be to struggle with fertility and not know where to turn.

That experience shaped how she approached third-party fertility: “I think it helped me to be able to be so much more empathetic to anyone going through this sort of thing, where their greatest heart’s desire is to have a child and they need someone to be there and listen to them.”

When an artist is trying to create something new, they are often given the advice to work from what they are familiar with. The same holds true for entrepreneurs: create from what you know. Work from your experiences to create a business that can address real needs.

What are you passionate about? How can your experiences — good and bad — help you find a way to turn that passion into a business?

Fill a gap in the market

If you are passionate about a certain market, odds are you’ve seen some of the flaws in the current system. Any system has room for improvement, and those gaps and flaws are something your business has the opportunity to address.

Gail had experienced for herself how few resources were available for people dealing with infertility issues, and when she began working in third-party fertility, she wanted to change that. Through her work, Gail realized where and how she could be of most help to people who want to be parents, but can’t have children in the tradition way.

Her clients, whom Gail calls “intended parents,” were often totally unprepared for the world of egg donors and surrogacy: “Initially I worked for about 10 years within agencies, and more and more my feeling would be that intended parents need to have someone who can be an advocate and liaison for them and really to hear them and be a voice for them.”

So Gail decided to start a company that would advocate for intended parents and help them in as many ways as it could.

In your area of business, what’s something other companies tend to overlook? How can your business address that oversight?

Listen to your customers

Knowing what your customers want and need is the best way to keep your business headed in the right direction. And the only way to truly know what your customers need is to listen to them.

Gail’s priority with both Donor Concierge and Tulip is doing what’s best for the people who come to her business for help. Her clients’ needs and desires are what guide the direction of her business, and for Gail, that guidance is what has helped her business thrive.

“Take care of your clients by doing what is right for them and keeping them as your True North. Because my feeling has always been, if you take care of the client, then the clients will come.”

Listening to your clients is an excellent way to build up your company’s reputation. According to an article from Review 42, word-of-mouth marketing is five times as effective as paid media in terms of sales. No marketing campaign can compete with the solidity of a well-built reputation amongst your clients.

When you prioritize your customers, they know it — and they will recommend you because of it.

What are your customers telling you? How can you best take care of your clients?

Believe in your business… and yourself

At the end of the day, the most important thing you can do for your business is persevere. It’s not easy to start something new, and the entrepreneurial life is not for the faint of heart, but don’t allow yourself to become discouraged by roadblocks along the way.

Gail’s advice to people looking to start their own business is simple: “You have to have a bit of a tough skin and really believe in what it is you’re thinking about doing, and you have to trust your gut.”

Work from what you know, find a need and fill it, and prioritize your clients, and you will be well on your way to turning your passion into a business.

Entering uncharted territory can be daunting, but if you are passionate about what you want to do, you will find a way to make it work. Believe in your idea, put in the work, and you can make your business a success.