Starting your own business and becoming an entrepreneur is an exciting adventure and can help you feel more fulfilled than working a “traditional job” for other people. However, after you start your own business, you may find yourself wanting to take on new opportunities and expand your business portfolio, but is it possible to be a successful multi-passionate entrepreneur?
While some people may say that you need to find your ‘one thing’ – one area, one industry, one niche (you know who I’m talking about;)) – and focus on building a single business in that area, I am here to tell you that running multiple businesses and having multiple passions is absolutely attainable.
To help fuel your fire and make your dreams of being a successful multi-passionate entrepreneur a reality, here are a few of my top tips to help get you off the ground.
Tips for Becoming a Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur
Take it Slow
Before we jump into the more practical tips for being a multi-passionate entrepreneur, the first thing you to remember is to take it slow. No one builds 3 different businesses at the same time. Starting a business takes time and effort, and in order to ensure that it is successful, you need to make sure you give yourself plenty of time to nurture it.
So, when it comes to your own businesses, take your time. Start with one and put all of your effort into it. Build it on a solid foundation that is going to stay strong if you hire other people to help you run it or put it on the back burner for a little bit.
Once you feel confident in that business and know that it is going to be able to run itself effectively, then you can start to branch out and work on another one of your passions. The mistake I often see is starting all of your ideas at once. I get it- I’m also a Manifesting Generator- but you’ve got to have the security of a strong foundational business first.
Embrace your Ideas
Don’t dismiss your ideas or throw them off to the side because you don’t know if they’re “good enough” or feasible. Embrace every single one of your ideas and let them sit. Think about how it could work as a business, what you would have to do to start it up, how it would run once it was set up.
No idea is a bad idea, and you want to give yourself the space to be creative and let your mind wander. Be sure to find a place where you can write down all of these business ideas so you don’t lose them. Take a few notes on what you like about it, why you would want to do it, or anything you would have to set up before you could start the business.
Be Adaptable
Running your own business is not a rigid or clear-cut endeavor. You’ll often find yourself doing things that you never thought you would be doing – and loving it. Adaptability is a crucial aspect of being a successful entrepreneur.
Give yourself the space to adapt to different roles, different industries, and different clientele, and always be eager to learn. As a former teacher, being a life-long learner was instilled in me and I take that with me into my many passions. It has served me so well.
Each time you follow one of your passions, you are bound to take on new challenges that force you to adjust how you approach everything to fit each individual business.
Just because you do things one way in one business doesn’t mean that is exactly how you will do it in another, so be adaptable and allow yourself that flexibility.
Let your Creativity Flow
This is one of my favorite aspects about running a business: you get to do whatever you want and run it however you want. This gives you the freedom to be creative and explore all the different avenues and ideas that you have.
Let your mind wander, try different things, and see what you come up with. This is also a great time to try out something you have never done before.
A common way people become multi-passionate entrepreneurs is by turning their hobbies into businesses over time. If you find you love doing something, you can consider how you can transform that and share that love with others.
For example, maybe you are a business coach, and that is your main job, but you also love art and creating things. You can have your coaching business and create digital prints, paintings, stickers, etc., that you sell to others. This way, you have an outlet for your creativity that allows you to share that passion with others.
Find your Niche for Each Business
When it comes to being a successful multi-passionate entrepreneur, it is important that you find your niche for each individual business. I know I totally dogged on ‘niches’ just above- but that was about the big picture and using that stick yourself in a box. This is about your individual businesses- which need a target audience and niche.
It’s important to think about your dream clients and the people you want to serve with each business. If you force a new business on your current audience and it’s not something they are interested in, it can seem like the business is not a success or not an idea you should continue to pursue.
In reality, it may be a perfect idea; you’re just not reaching the right audience. So, each time you explore another passion, make sure you do research and find the niche that is going to love your business as much as you do.
Build an Overarching Personal Brand
Having a personal brand can be a plus when it comes to running multiple businesses. This personal brand can be a single, cohesive brand that reflects all of your different passions.
This is also a great option if you ever plan on getting into education. This personal brand can serve as your portfolio and show all of the different businesses you run successfully. It can help to build your authority as a multi-passionate entrepreneur and an expert on the topic.
Network and Collaborate
While it is definitely helpful to network and collaborate with others in each of the individual niches or industries that you have businesses in, it’s also really helpful to connect with other multi-passionate entrepreneurs.
Not only are they going to have a better understanding of how you work and the ins and outs of running multiple businesses, but they are also going to help support and encourage all of your interests.
Instead of questioning why you are stepping into this different industry that you’ve never worked in before, they are going to cheer you on and help give you advice when you get stuck. You’ll also build a more diverse network of connections across countless industries that can help you grow your business and learn even more! Bottom line- who you know matters.
Give yourself Breaks to Avoid Burnout
Burnout is real, especially with entrepreneurs. Often, we are taking on everything and trying to handle each individual part of our businesses, and it can get overwhelming.
It’s important that you give yourself breaks and time to decompress. This may look like setting specific times to disconnect during the day, scheduling vacations every few months to take a step back, or hiring others to work with you as your businesses grow so you don’t have to do everything alone.
Stay Focused and Organized
Effective systems are a necessity. Whether you are branching out and starting your second business or already have multiple businesses that you’re running, the most effective way to juggle all of them is by staying focused and organized.
If you are working with clients, have systems in place to make sure all of the information for their project is organized and clear. Internally, you want to make sure you have a place where you can organize all of the tasks and schedules for all of your businesses.
Apps like Notion, Trello, Asana, ClickUp, etc. will become your best friend, and you’ll be able to keep everything organized so you know exactly what has to be done for each business and when.
You can also block out your schedule to focus on one business at a time. This may mean having specific times each day you work on each of them, specific days dedicated to them, or work on each business in one-week bursts. However you choose to organize everything and divide your time, the key is that you set up these systems early.
Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur Examples
HN Haus
Hannah Nieves is a great example of a multi-passionate entrepreneur who has multiple businesses that are all connected. She started out with her consulting business, where she helps other entrepreneurs and business owners expand their reach and grow their businesses faster through PR.
In addition to her consulting business, she also runs HN Haus. HN Haus is a community for female business owners who want to build brands that are going to be remembered. They have a mastermind program and a collective to help business owners grow and market their businesses strategically- also using PR, but bringing in even more support
Finally, she is also the owner of This Hudson Studio, which is a space in Hudson Valley that you can use for events like photoshoots, video shoots, pop-ups, etc. (And she is soon launching The Hudson Farm- another event space/property in upstate New York).
Hannah was able to take the foundation that she had, her consulting businesses, and expand it to a collective and a creative space that other entrepreneurs could use. Since these are all in the same niche, she can also leverage the audience she already has to grow each business!
Marie Forleo
Marie Forleo is another great example of a multi-passionate entrepreneur. She has expanded a single business idea into an empire online that reaches people across many different mediums.
She has courses and resources that help people build businesses, hone in on their specific voice, get more of their time back, and more. Plus, she has a blog and podcast/TV show where she talks business and interviews influential people from every industry and walk of life. She is also a NY Times bestselling author on top of all of that!
Marie is a great example that you can do it all and love what you’re doing. She also runs her businesses in a way that allows people to follow along and learn regardless of how they like to consume content. If you like to read things, you can check out her blog or book. If you’re someone who likes to just throw headphones on while you work, you can listen to the podcast. If you’d rather watch something, take everything in on MarieTV.
There are countless avenues and ways that you can chase after all your passions and both of these women show that regardless of how you go about it, you can run all of these businesses at a high level!
Common Traits of Multi-Passionate Entrepreneurs
I always say that there are a few common traits that all successful multi-passionate entrepreneurs share: consistency, a deeply rooted belief, and resilience.
When you are running multiple businesses, you have to show up every day and do the work. Whether things are slow, a little scary, or difficult, you have to continue to show up consistently.
You have to know why you are doing what you are doing. It doesn’t matter what your business is – selling products, educating people, offering services, etc. – it needs to be rooted in a belief. You need to know that your business is helpful and intentional and is adding value and creating more good in the world.
Finally, you have to be resilient. Business is going to knock you down sometimes – roadblocks will come up, launches will fail – but you need to be able to get back up and carry on.
Final Thoughts on Being a Multi-Passionate Entrepreneur
Being a multi-passionate entrepreneur can be so fulfilling and can give you the space to explore your creativity and do the things that you love. Hopefully, these tips help point you in the right direction and start off on the right foot when it comes to expanding your own business endeavors.
