Passion Is The Secret Ingredient To Business

So you’re thinking of becoming a business? Nanz Chong-Komo talks about the very first thing you need.

When it comes to business, we hear how people are “driven” to succeed and usually what drives them is their passion for whatever they are doing.

A few years ago, Andrew Tjioe, owner of the very successful Tung Lok chain of restaurants in Singapore told a reporter how every dish he prepares is prepared with love. That he is passionately interested in his food business is apparent and it is reflected through his success.

In my case, although my business eventually failed, I still count myself one of those very fortunate ones who did something she truly loved. I never once regretted my business.

ONE.99Shop was really born of a passion that I had for shopping! It was this great love that led me to my core business. I discovered that there were so many different types of goods that could be purchased to meet the needs of people.

The thought of that drove me to think up ways and means of unearthing the best places to find cheaper supplies and it was my passion that drove me to scour the world for the best bargains! I never once minded the long, long hours I put into my efforts because I never felt them. Passion works like a drug — you don’t feel the pain, you just enjoy the “high”.

I began to develop an eye for merchandise and I could spot what would “sell”. My passion for my work stayed with me till the very end when I had to surrender my reins. Truly, to me, doing a business without passion is like eating French fries without ketchup or drinking champagne without the bubbles!

Passion puts a stride in your steps and propels you forward even when obstacles are blocking your path. I wrote my book, One Business, 99 Lessons, with so much passion — I spent days and days digging up my old notes, leafing through pages of mementoes and photographs simply because I was determined to put the right things down.

Love and passion is so crucial to life that I feel everyone should examine himself or herself. Finally, ask yourself whether you are passionate about what you are doing. If you’re not, it might be time to exit and work on something else!

This was extracted from Nanz Chong-Komo’s best-seller One Business, 99 Lessons.