Will H. — Kissing a Frog Turned Him into a Prince

Many clients have dropped their traditional careers and created businesses out of their hobbies, but few have as compelling a story as Will's.

Will worked in a warehouse, and was an intelligent man whose modest education underrepresented his abilities and ambitions. After taking time off from college to earn some money and have fun, he never returned to school.Years later he found himself going nowhere, in a job that met his bills, but not his needs.

We explored alternative occupations but none excited him. Then he mentioned his hobby: Will was an avid breeder of exotic, rare amphibians (and a few reptiles). He was one of only a few people in the nation at that time to successfully breed red eye tree frogs. His home was a (humid) menagerie of unusual frogs, geckos and other creatures, and all had interesting stories. He pointed out a white lizard-like animal, and noted that was the only albino one of it’s type in the U.S. He often talked to zoos; they called him for advice on breeding and caring for these animals.

He always had thought of this as just a hobby and didn't think it was of more value than that. He had an incredible wealth of knowledge but wasn' putting it to use.  And, there was at that time a perfect store of opporunity: There was a high demand for the frogs in the U.S., no one else could breed them, and the country of origin (Madagascar) had stopped exports.   

Will turned his passion (yes, I too am tired of that word, but it fits here!) into his success.  He stopped looking to fit into the mold that he thought he should, and instead played to his strong suit. He bred, consulted, sold and promoted his way into a business that he loved to do.

A few lessons in Will's story. For one, many of us have strong skills in an area, but underestimate its value.  We assume that because it comes easy to us, anyone else can do it, too. Our greatest values is not in the work we are willing to do, but in the things we really get excited about.  To help identify this, you may ask yourself, how do I spend my time when I have complete freedom to choose?

For many of us, we need to take the "blinders off" and consider something new or different.  Surprisingly, employers are generally more open to people making changes than we are ourselves.

Will's background was uncommon, and perhaps even more out of the norm than for most of us.  But the choices don't have to be exotic or unheard of.  The main thing is, if it is something you really love, you will go farther in it than if it simply an obligatory solution.