Don’t waste your time with passion

This was not the first dinner with a hopeful startup founder seeking my advice that would come to a point like this. Nor the last.​ I knew I would have to explain it another way. This time avoiding the phrase 'passion is irrelevant'.​ I often have a hard time explaining this concept because no one wants to hear that passion isn't the secret ingredient that makes a business a success.​ Our startup media has idealized the way we talk about passion. And it leads entrepreneurs to believe that success is the product of following a passion and hustling their way to the top.​ But this idea can be misleading and takes away from why you started the business in the first place: to solve a problem.​

This was not the first dinner with a hopeful startup founder seeking my advice that would come to a point like this. Nor the last.​ I knew I would have to explain it another way. This time avoiding the phrase 'passion is irrelevant'.​ I often have a hard time explaining this concept because no one wants to hear that passion isn't the secret ingredient that makes a business a success.​ Our startup media has idealized the way we talk about passion. And it leads entrepreneurs to believe that success is the product of following a passion and hustling their way to the top.​ But this idea can be misleading and takes away from why you started the business in the first place: to solve a problem.​

This was not the first dinner with a hopeful startup founder seeking my advice that would come to a point like this. Nor the last.​ I knew I would have to explain it another way. This time avoiding the phrase 'passion is irrelevant'.​ I often have a hard time explaining this concept because no one wants to hear that passion isn't the secret ingredient that makes a business a success.​ Our startup media has idealized the way we talk about passion. And it leads entrepreneurs to believe that success is the product of following a passion and hustling their way to the top.​ But this idea can be misleading and takes away from why you started the business in the first place: to solve a problem.​

This was not the first dinner with a hopeful startup founder seeking my advice that would come to a point like this. Nor the last.​ I knew I would have to explain it another way. This time avoiding the phrase 'passion is irrelevant'.​ I often have a hard time explaining this concept because no one wants to hear that passion isn't the secret ingredient that makes a business a success.​ Our startup media has idealized the way we talk about passion. And it leads entrepreneurs to believe that success is the product of following a passion and hustling their way to the top.​ But this idea can be misleading and takes away from why you started the business in the first place: to solve a problem.​

This was not the first dinner with a hopeful startup founder seeking my advice that would come to a point like this. Nor the last.​ I knew I would have to explain it another way. This time avoiding the phrase 'passion is irrelevant'.​ I often have a hard time explaining this concept because no one wants to hear that passion isn't the secret ingredient that makes a business a success.​ Our startup media has idealized the way we talk about passion. And it leads entrepreneurs to believe that success is the product of following a passion and hustling their way to the top.​ But this idea can be misleading and takes away from why you started the business in the first place: to solve a problem.​

This was not the first dinner with a hopeful startup founder seeking my advice that would come to a point like this. Nor the last.​ I knew I would have to explain it another way. This time avoiding the phrase 'passion is irrelevant'.​ I often have a hard time explaining this concept because no one wants to hear that passion isn't the secret ingredient that makes a business a success.​ Our startup media has idealized the way we talk about passion. And it leads entrepreneurs to believe that success is the product of following a passion and hustling their way to the top.​ But this idea can be misleading and takes away from why you started the business in the first place: to solve a problem.​

This was not the first dinner with a hopeful startup founder seeking my advice that would come to a point like this. Nor the last.​ I knew I would have to explain it another way. This time avoiding the phrase 'passion is irrelevant'.​ I often have a hard time explaining this concept because no one wants to hear that passion isn't the secret ingredient that makes a business a success.​ Our startup media has idealized the way we talk about passion. And it leads entrepreneurs to believe that success is the product of following a passion and hustling their way to the top.​ But this idea can be misleading and takes away from why you started the business in the first place: to solve a problem.​