November 2010

Many people dream of taking a passion and turning it into a successful business. Maybe it's time to stop dreaming and start doing.  

For inspiration, this week I"m sharing how one of the loyal listeners to my SIRIUSXM radio show, Vinny Penoro turned his passion for baking into a side business.

Finding Passion for Detail & Baking - Growing up, I loved to watch my Grandmothers cook, always with attention to detail. That attention to detail left an impression on me.  No matter what job I had, I had to do it perfectly.  I went to X-Ray school and received an award for technical excellence.  Their cooking left an impression too.  I have a real passion for cooking and baking.  I've prepared gourmet meals for friends and family for years.  Then at the age of 45, I kicked up my baking skills by graduating from a 13-week baking course achieving a 99 average.  Every time someone took a bite of my baked goods, I heard repeatedly, “this is the best I ever had.”

Starting A Bakery On the Side - The job of taking x-rays was not satisfying me. I changed employers a few times thinking this would help, but it didn't. Finally, after baking a special cookie I had created myself and hearing , “you should sell these”, I decided to take the plunge.  It was difficult for me to leave a well-paying job cold-turkey, so I decided to bake one day a week and slowly build my business on the side. My business, primarily a wholesale bakery, called Sweet Lady Lulu's (named after one of my grandmothers), is located in East Islip, NY.  I supply restaurants and sell my baked goods at farmers' markets.  Now I'm expanding my time spent on the business - taking X-rays only three days a week and baking two.

Learning that Doing What You Love Makes For A Happy Life - The satisfaction I get from seeing people enjoy my products and getting that, "Oh my", look on their faces makes it all worthwhile. Doing what you love is the key to a happy life. Some people may think being rich is the key.  That's good too, but when you feel the sense of accomplishment doing what you love, life seems much happier and fulfilling.  

Thanks Vinny - I've tried your baked goods  at SweetLadyLulus.com and they are amazing!  

Are you ready to find your passion?  Ready to start your business? I built my coaching practice on the side to start too.  Keeping your day job doesn't need to keep you from your dream.  Call into my radio show every Friday 4-5p ET at 866-675-6675 if you have questions about how to get started.  Just like Vinny and just like me, you can learn that doing work you love makes for a very happy life!