I’ve worked with clients from every continent except Antarctica.
Change seekers hail from many countries and cultures.
Some know what they love to do… others have no clue.
In the end though, they all want the same thing as you and me. Namely…
To live life on your own terms… doing work you enjoy.
Last week I worked with a client named “Jane.”
Jane has multiple gifts and passions, among them… re-purposing old furniture, history, singing, and writing.
So called “scanners” – a term Barbara Sher coined to describe people who have so many interests they have trouble picking just one – are my specialty.
However, whereas traditional career advisors are interested in things like skills assessments, resumes, and job searches — I only work with people who want to do their own thing.
If Changing Course were an equation, it would look like this…
Discover What You Love to Do
+
See Ways to Make Money Doing It
= Freedom, Control, Flexibility
For example, last week, I worked with a fascinating client from Europe.
“Angela” was a burned out corporate sales rep. Today she is on a quest to recreate her life.
As background — Angela grew up in Sweden (where she still owns a home) and also owns a home in Barcelona.
She also travels frequently to Bangkok (she is a fascinating combination of half Croatian and half Thai) and is getting ready to relocate to Rome.
Angela’s interests are as varied as her travels.
But her core passion is one lots of other change seekers can relate to… FOOD!
What about you…
Do you love to cook or bake?
Are you bothered by the unhealthy eating habits driving growth in obesity among kids?
Do you love community building?
Or maybe you just love eating great food!
The Business Idea Generators here at Changing Course have uncovered three cool ways that you – or someone you know — can profit from your passion.
Along with these, I’m also going to share the key resource I shared with Angela that may well turn out to be a game changer for her, and you!
But before we get to these, there’s one thing you and every other change seeker needs to know.
If you’re waiting to change course until you come up with some groundbreaking idea no one has ever thought of before, then my friend you you’re missing the opportunity boat.
More importantly, you’re missing your chance to experience the freedom and flexibility that comes with being your own boss.
What you really should do is to build on proven ideas.
Here are 3 food-related businesses you can use as a jumping off point to do just that.
The first two ideas build on billion dollar businesses like Airbnb and Uber which have already more than proven the sharing economy is booming.
1) Share Your Meal – for Money
We all know someone who is a fabulous cook.
It could be a relative… a friend… a neighbor… a co-worker…
So fabulous that you’ve wished you could pay that person to share some of that fabulous cooking with you.
Personal chefs have been around for a while now. However, not everyone can afford to pay upwards of $500 a week for meals.
Enter ShareYourMeal.net.
The site matches people who love to cook with people in their own community who love home cooked meals – but who prefer to leave the preparation to someone else.
The company originated in the Netherlands. But they’re starting to make small inroads in the US, Canada, and elsewhere in Europe.
(Click on the language link at the top left of the Share Your Meal page for other locations.)
And that presents a money-making opportunity for anyone with the passion and skills to create some extra meals that others would gladly pay for.
And if you’re interested in the broader concept of the sharing economy, check out this informative TedX Talk by Share Your Meal founder Marieke Hart.
The Netherlands gave birth to another related idea…
2) Organize A Pop-Up Restaurant
Springwise featured a cool a pop-up restaurant in Amsterdam where the organizers brought together a variety of home-based cooks to create meals for diners.
For one weekend the cooks registered with Share Your Meals and served up a variety of three course meals made right in their own kitchens.
Then the restaurant collaborated with a local bicycle courier service to get the meals to the pop-up location.
Clearly, this idea works much better in an urban area – especially the bike part.
But if you love organizing events, fundraisers or otherwise building community, a pop up restaurant with local cooks is a great idea!
Or you could build on it by organizing a collaboration between three local restaurants with each showcasing their signature course.
Alternatively, you could use the same pop up model to promote people who make and sell locally sourced foods – pickles, specialty chocolates, organic beef, and the like.
For food lovers and makers, it’s a win-win!
3) Offer Cooking Classes for Kids
Out of New Zealand comes Little Cooks, a company that offers on-site (schools, birthday parties, etc.) cooking classes for kids.
Founded by Rebecca (Bex) Woolfall and Suzi Tait-Bradley, the friends wanted to find a way to both teach kids about nutrition and as well as how they themselves could create yummy meals.
The kids have a ball cooking.
(What’s not to love about making “fruit hogs” or “piggy pasta”?!)
The driving force for these two enterprising entrepreneurs is giving kids the knowledge and tools to be able to make healthy food choices in the future.
And if you think you need to be a professionally trained chef to run cooking classes, think again.
Before escaping the corporate world, Bex was a marketing exec.
And while she did earn a teaching degree and taught some cooking and baking classes at school, Suzi’s more recent professional experience is leading a Brownie troop.
But perhaps her best “qualification” was an unfortunate diagnosis with Coeliac disease.
An experience that led Suzi to take a closer look at how diet affects health… and then an opportunity to birth a business to help others to do the same.
Game Changer
The moment I turned Angela on to mega Specialty Food show happening this January in San Francisco, she knew she had to be there.
Described as…
…the largest specialty food trade event on the West Coast and a showcase of industry innovation, bringing specialty food’s top manufacturers, buyers, and thought leaders together under one roof for three days of delectable discovery, January 17-19. 2016 will feature more than 80,000 products, 19,000 buyers, and 1,400 exhibitors!
(If you can’t make this one, the East Coast event happens in New York City in June.)
The great thing is you don’t need to even have a specialty food product to benefit.
The show offers three days of educational programming for people at all levels from curious explorer, to budding beginner, to seasoned entrepreneurs.
With this much exposure, contacts, and education/information I have zero doubt in my mind that for Angela, this event is going to be the game changer that will allow her to create the life she really wants.
What About You?
There are endless ways to profit from your passions.
Regardless of where your interests lie, you absolutely must break out of the trap of thinking, “I have to think up something totally new and unique before I can begin.”
The smarter thinking is – where can I find proven ideas I can build on?
Then go do it.
Still Don’t Know What You Want to Be When You “Grow Up”?
YES/NO I want to do work I love, but I’m not sure what that is anymore
YES/NO I know what I love to do, but I have no clue how to make money doing it
YES/NO I know what I love to do, but worry I can’t make enough money doing it
YES/NO I have a great idea, but I don’t know where to begin Sadly, most people spend years – even decades – trying to figure these things out on your own. When in reality…
All You Really Need Is Someone to Show You The Way
I’ve helped people just like you discover creative ways you can turn your interests into actionable income for two decades now.
I’d never describe myself as “psychic.”
But I am highly intuitive.
That means if you and I were talking about your answers to the questions above… there’s an excellent chance my mind would form a picture of you engaged in a certain kind of work.
Work that pays the bills… and feeds your soul.
Simply said, I have a gift for seeing creative ways you can make money without a j-o-b to.
And for a limited time you have the chance to put my special gift to work for you.
I’m getting ready to open up my new 8-Weeks to Work You Love 1-1 coaching program.
Since it is a new program, I’m going to offer a substantial discount.
To learn and to see if 8-Weeks to Work You Love is right for you call 413-203-9754.
I’ve got some speaking engagements this week – so if you reach my voicemail be sure to leave 3 things:
- Your name (naturally!)
- The best number and reach you (Outside North America – leave your Skype ID)
- The best times to reach you this week
I promise to return your call within 24 hours.
Then together, we’ll discover if this is the right time for you to create the life you really want.
And remember, if you could have figured it out on your own by now… you would have.
