Next Things

Yesterday’s post dealt with stories, each of our stories. What goes into those stories is up to us.

That’s where Next Things enters the picture.

Your interests, if allowed, can grow into passions. Those passions, if allowed, can grow into a life-calling. A avocation for sure, but maybe even a career. Interested in photography? Of what subject matter? Of which message projection? For what purpose? If talent couples with passion, you likely have a career to build in photography.

Same with woodworking, arts and crafts that can be expanded in production and distribution. Maybe even an industry can be birthed? By you? Think how Bezos wondered how retail sales could be transformed by computer networking over the internet? He did it with new books. He figured out how to apply the known technology to the transactional art of buying and selling books. At first he inventories books, but later learned he could handle the sales transaction but ask the publisher to mail or distribute the book directly to the customer.

Amazon soon after figured how to network the sale and distribution of used books; he created an entirely new market for this material that benefited everyone interested in printed material. And the buyer and seller handled the transaction once the exchange of value was handled by Amazon via computer.

Soon thereafter other products were added to Amazon’s methodology and the rest is history. The middle man was cut out – the independent or chain retail outlet (stores). The world has been revolutionized by that. Bezos is now worth more than $200 billion. He was first in line with his idea and has reaped the financial rewards.

For most of us, a big payday is not of interest. A livable income is, naturally, but that is not the prime objective. Doing something with an idea or personal passion is the focus of most of us. Being a success at that is the real achievement.

Making that happen is easier than most people think. Forming a small business to manage delivery of the passion is easy. Building scope of operation takes more work. Managing marketing and distribution adds to the effort. Often, however, starting small is the first step in building a larger operation that later grows or bought and merged by a larger company. A role in that company is often assured. Both the passion and financial security is acquired.

Some businesses are not for profit; they are distributors of services that support and empower the lives of others in need. We call these nonprofits. The beneficiaries are not paying for the services at all or in total. Other agencies, organizations, foundations and donors provide the financial support to make the nonprofit function. The passion carrier – founder of the nonprofit – thus fulfills his/her passion while maybe earning a living doing it. Creating the nonprofit at its earliest stage is easy. What comes afterward takes effort and dedication. It is possible and very rewarding to the soul.

Next Things involves allowing yourself to dream the big dream. One day you can fulfill it. There are organizations and mentors available to help you. For free. Just ask. SCORE.org is a good place to start seeking such help.

I know. I’m one of those volunteers in SCORE. But other organizations exist as well.

If you have a dream, give yourself permission to empower that dream into a much larger reality.

September 3, 2020