Do What You Love

Do what you love and the rest will come.

This was the philosophy I grew up on. (With Valentines Day around the corner it seemed like a fitting blog to write).

My Dad was a firm believer in all things positive long before it was trendy. He could see the good in anyone and anything. He would tell you he never worked a day in his life and there was an energy about him that just made you believe that anything was possible. I soaked it up.

But I do remember a night very clearly when I owned Starstruck a clothing manufacturing company (read about it here) and I called home and the conversation went somethingĀ  like this:

Me: So Dad a whole container of fabric is lost. We have some unforgiving retailers waiting on us and I don’t know how we can deliver on time. I’m loving this a whole lot Dad truely I am but when will “the rest” come? I’m worried “the rest” is lost with the fabric and there is no tracking number?

Dad: It’ll come Jano. It’ll come. Just hang in there.

I hung up the phone sort of stomping about wanting a better answer. How could he be so darn sure?

As entrepreneurs we know life isn’t always sunshine and roses. There are long exhausting days that try us in a way nothing else can. Our faith can be shaken in ourselves, in our products and in our business. And we might not be able to see it at the time but there is real magic in being shaken to the core like that. I think at the heart of the entrepreneur lies an unstoppableĀ  faith that when we do what we love the rest really does come.

I miss my Dad everyday and his voice saying ‘It’ll come’ is as clear to me today as it was that night. And it’s advice I’m glad I’ve built my life and my business on.