Here’s How You Can Your Talent Into a Viable Business

What’s your talent? How are you going to build it into a successful business?

When you talk about talent, I am 100% sure the first thing that pops in your mind is singing, dancing, drawing etc.

It’s very hard to find people thinking that talent is everywhere, from the tech world, people who are very active on social media, computer buffs, someone who has amazing people skills; you will find talent everywhere you look.

Most individuals have a talents that can be leveraged into pioneering a new business.

Perhaps, you are known for making the best cupcakes in town, or maybe all your neighbors knock on your door when they need help fixing their appliances and sound systems. You may also have a hobby at which you excel.

By turning your talent into a business, not only do you get to be your own boss, but you invite others to benefit from your passion and eventually will hopefully be able to provide new jobs in your community as your venture grows.

For example, did you know that the founder of Instagram has no formal engineering training, but rather was a marketer who taught himself to program and code at night?

Kevin Systrom was passionate about photography and wanted to create a new, social-media-oriented way for people to exchange photos with friends and family. He taught himself programming so that he could share his passion for photography with others.

Another example of an entrepreneur who has learnt a new skill in order to create a successful business is Shawn O’Connor founder of Stratus Prep. He explains in Forbes magazine that his own experience offered another example of honing one’s skills and putting them to use in launching a business.

After obtaining his JD/MBA from Harvard, Shawn had opportunities to work at leading financial institutions and global law firms, but his true passion lay not in the corporate world, but in education and mentoring.

“I relished my time at Harvard and founded Stratus Prep as a means of helping other students win acceptance into the schools of their dreams. The psychological payoff was unparalleled. I utilized my teaching, test-taking, and admissions counseling skills and experience and eventually attracted countless qualified experts to my team to establish Stratus Prep as leading boutique test prep and admissions counseling firm,” Shawn explains.

He has leveraged his love for counseling to serve on the boards of and advise numerous successful startups. And these are just among many people who have succeeded in using their talents.

Unlike ‘traditional’ businesses whose real assets might be the factories they own and the goods they produce, a startup’s real wealth is the talent it attracts and produces ss seen with so many one-time startups that have become household names over the years.

Having a great vision, belief, and skills makes it possible for a small business with not much cash reserves to take on giants with billion-dollar valuations. That makes it virtually essential in fact, perhaps the most important focus point of any startup.

As you can see, businesses are most successful when they stem from a talent, even if you have to adjust it slightly to meet consumer desires, and then do it.

Even if your passion does not seem profitable at first glance, such as enjoying browsing through your friends’ photographs.

First, take time and know your talent, see how you can make it grow either by attending conferences, exhibitions, expositions, workshops, soft skills training, just take time to learn how to grow your talent.

Look around in your community and try to see where there is a gap that you can fill using your talent (people buy or pay for goods or services for things that they value), do your research well.

You can start small and learn to grow, have a vision and mission. Also yearn to grow through exploring and learning new things don’t be tied down to one idea, the world is evolving so evolve with it. Settle for understanding and commitment to the vision.

You now have the few steps to start your own business and begin revolutionizing not only your economic future but also that of your community and the nation!

While many Kenyans would love to own a business, they are often dissuaded because they do not believe that their passion will reap sufficient profit to sustain them financially.

While it is critically important to plan your finances carefully before launching a new business, do not be discouraged, many entrepreneurs have been in the very same position, and they have found a solution in developing a new talent to complement their passion for the freedom and opportunity that comes with entrepreneurship.

Go on, be encouraged to use your imagination and make your talent as attractive as can be!