(published on nextbigwhat here)
If you are really hurt by reading the title and planning to share this with “wtf”, please hold on and read more. You might be struggling from last 2-3 years building an ROI positive company and the title might be insulting. But let me tell you, you are the most respected person in my and article’s eye, for you are still pursuing the dream and this article is probably for you only apart from others who are planning to startup or even those who have already built an ROI positive company meeting targets they always wanted.
This is a story involving Sally and Amanda who are very good friends since childhood. Amanda’s father is very rich but she is married to a not so poor guy and has preferred to not take any help from her father. She misses being rich though. Sally and Amanda have ritualized daily yoga in Sally’s garden after husbands of both leave for work. They are discussing about entrepreneurship as Sally’s husband is thinking of quitting job and starting up an e-commerce company. Amanda is moved by the idea that even high salaried people are quitting job to get time for building their business where she is forced to be free for the whole day, apart from preparing amazing food she is fond of. She is disturbed, yet thinking positively out of the thoughts invoked in her. She is thankful for the conversation. Next day, she is really happy for she has found some secret ingredient from her dad, who owns a big sports equipment shop. She has decided to start photography for she really wants to see herself capturing amazing moments in a scientific way and this is her business idea, to do photography. Sally is little surprised for the newly discovered wanna-be Amanda and asks her, how will she make money. “Its easy”, Amanda says. “I will click amazing photographs, then people will buy my photos or ask me to come in their functions to click photographs, blah, blah…”. Sally discussed this with her husband, Mike and he laughs off explaining her that it is impossible to make money like this unless you are best of all. Amanda creates a flickr account, studies some photography books, and starts capturing photographs in hope people will start buying them.
3 months later
Amanda is explaining Sally about the skills she has gained, and about the comments and likes coming on her photographs. And also that no sales has happened. Sally tells her about her discussion with Mike and why it will be tough earning money like this. She also tell her the stats which Mike had looked next day, of the money earned by people like this. “Its something which everyone is trying, and Mike told me every wanna-be photographer is trying, don’t mind please. But this is the case, Amanda”, Sally tells her for she has got the chance to give wisdom to Amanda after her failure. “I know the secret ingredient”, says Amanda. “Its easy, I will make money. Let me experiment more.”, she added.
1 year later
Amanda is still trying to make something out of her flickr blog, nothing is happening except that she has gained respect among friends for nice photography she is doing. One day, in her regular book shop, she finds a new book titled “Art of Food Photography”. She is excited as though she has achieved something really big. She puts up her blog, starts clicking food photographs of foods in the restaurants and starts getting more likes and comments. Meanwhile, Sally’s husband has put his resignation and need to work 3 more months as per contract. He has decided to open up his restaurant for his friends’ venture capital is interested in doing investments in food businesses. Sally meets her, and she explains what she is up to.
4 months later
Amanda’s food blog is famous in her friends’ group. She has even started taking photographs of food she prepares and keep adding her own recipes in the blog. Her blog suggests food in the town as well as do-it-yourself tips. Mike approached her asking for help in her free time for basic setup since she herself is good cook and has some good design cum art experience now. “I got to prepare menu, do restaurant design, have website and social media presence. Can you help me somewhere out of your experience”, asks Mike. “I will design your menu, show me the food samples going to be served”, she replied, for she knows this will give her more food photography opportunities.
1 year later
Mike has raised VC money and has already started his first restaurant. As for Amanda, she is a well know restaurant menu designer now, charging exorbitant money and has already delivered 80 menu in the town. “If you find engaging stories around food in a menu with tempting photos, it might be Amanda’s work”, writes a local newspaper while writing about her journey.
Amanda and Sally meet in a family dinner. “So what was your secret ingredient”, asks Sally. “Its easy!”, replied Amanda. “And I always told you”, she added.
She then told Sally
“My dad told me, its easy to make money now that you have decided to make. You are already rich if you have decided to be rich. You just need to put in on paper now. “. She says “My dad told me that you got to pick one thing which you would love to keep doing through out your life. Thats called your profession. You got to be skillful in that, learning by doing it. People always get rich and there is always a way for anyone to get rich. You should just be smart enough to pick a path which lays foundation to make money and to achieve your goals. But once taken the path, always consider that it is easy to make money in that path and try to do that. You, however, should be open to try out new paths which brings you better money for there is always a path better than any path and keep analyzing the paths as per your goals.”
“I am not rich still, but I was already rich the day I talked to my dad. I was just putting it on paper now. ” she added.