You’ve heard the saying, “Do what you love, and the money will follow.”

Is this actually true? If you follow your passion and pursue what you love doing for a living, will the monetary rewards really follow? What I’ve discovered is that it certainly helps – but you’ll need more than that to grow a lucrative career in the expert business. Having passion will give you the drive and determination you’ll need when the road gets rocky or times get challenging. Skills and talent are required to make a name for yourself as an expert; but passion, skills, and talent alone won’t pay the bills.

You also need good business sense and an entrepreneurial mindset to make it to the top of the expert business. Not only are you going to need to stand out, you’ll also need to think outside the box and have a business strategy that moves you to the top.

We all have a life journey, a story, a message, or skill that will help and inspire others. What matters most is how we share our message. In business, you must share your message through an innovative brand and a powerful message that quickly sets you apart from the competition. In this critical first step, you will discover how to turn your passion, skills, and talent into becoming a well-known and highly paid expert.

My passion for becoming an expert came from the many wonderful mentors who shaped my life and my career. I launched myself into the expert business to give back. Remember, I had no formal training, only passion when I started out. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a business for experts, and at that time if you called yourself an expert, people felt you were coming from an over-exaggerated claim or a big ego.

Turn your passion into profits

To turn your passion into a profitable business, you must fulfill a purpose that others need or want. You must find a way to impact others with your knowledge, experience, and/or skills. It isn’t enough to have talent; you must master your craft. Allow your passion to fuel your desire to be the best at what you know by blazing your own trail. Success comes to those who are willing to stay the course despite adversities, challenges and distractions.

Experts are most sought-after for their skills and passion to support the success of others. They don’t give up no matter what mistakes or challenges they need to overcome; in fact, they use their own mistakes as lessons that they can teach others to help shorten their learning curve. Experts learn how to achieve their goals, and the goals of others, through perseverance and excellence.

Answer these three important questions to see what drives you:

• What are you most passionate about that you want to share with others?
• How will your skills allow you to solve others’ problems?
• How can your talents guide others towards a better personal or professional life?