What do you do for Full-time work?
I'm a dental network recruiter, I sign up dentists, to a dental plan for patients who no longer have insurance.
What is your passion project and how long has it been in existence?
My passion project is dental marketing and consulting. And I started this about, six months ago.
Is it currently monetized?
Yes
What is your project’s origin story: Why did you start this project; what was the passion behind the project.
Well, before being a recruiter, I was an office manager for 14 years. And I went to a few seminars where we had a couple of consultants come to our office, and I really loved what they were doing. And one seminar stuck out from on for me, we went to a seminar, and it was about marketing the office and how to get patients in and things we could change. But it was this motivational speaker, and I felt like he was speaking to me directly. And he was saying, follow your dreams. And I felt at the time at my job, I felt like I wasn't growing. And I like you know, doing the little marketing for the office. And I felt like I could do this full time.
And when I was going out recruiting to the offices with my new job, I saw a lot of offices that didn't didn't have websites, they didn't have a social media presence. It was some things I could advise them on with the staff and with their office. And I thought to myself, this is something I really want to do. And I decided I wanted to start my own business.
Is there a point where you hesitated to start it? What got you over that hump?
I hesitated because I didn't know where I will find time. I have a husband, I have three children, I had a full time job. And I got over the hump because I saw there was need for my service. So I started researching more about starting a business. I took advantage of some resources I had, I took some classes online, and I looked at other people and got inspired and saw and learned how to manage my time better and got my passion started.
One of the biggest challenges people face when it comes to starting passion projects is finding time in their already busy lives to do it. How did you find or make time for your project?
To find the time when I first started, I went out and bought a big planner, one of the desk size planners, and I set a schedule for myself. And if you're working a full time job, the best thing is to commit to your job during the day. So I'll work from 8:00am to 33:0pm. And I'll take a break get my mind together. And from 4p to 7p. I will work on my marketing classes, I'll take classes online. And then I made time with my my daughter and she's doing virtual school. So that's pretty easy. She's home, I have a job where I was flexible to work at home. And I worked around that schedule, but I had a schedule. And if you work on projects, you should do you know certain projects certain days, Monday and Tuesday you work on one thing you know you've set a schedule for yourself. That's the main thing. And you find time with your family. The weekends was for my family. It's Saturday and Sunday. Those are days I spent my family and If I had time in between during the weekend, I'll work on my project as well. So the best thing is to get a calendar, set a schedule for yourself, don't overwork yourself, you know, go crazy trying to juggle so many things. The best thing is to get a planner and set a schedule for yourself.
Another big challenge faced is fatigue. You work 9-to-5, it takes up 95% of your energy. And we are not even talking about family and their needs yet. What can you share with the listeners about getting energy after all the demands of life?
I work from home, so it's very flexible. So I work from home, and in between I have a dog. So in this time, if you have a dog or pet, you have to get outside and get some fresh air. So if you're able to take a break, or if you're at work, you could take a little lunch break, take a break, go outside clear your mind, go for a little walk, separate yourself a little bit from your job, and it gets you know, get your mind; Just clear your mind and think about some other things. Because sometimes we try to juggle so much. And we don't make time for ourselves and we really have to. Our health is so important to us. And without that we're not going to get far. So I go out, I walk my dog, if I'm not walking the dog, I guess go out for a little walk. And I guess make time like that.
I have heard about passion projects providing renewed confidence and new skills when it comes to people’s day jobs. How has your passion project impacted the way you show up at your day job?
It did actually because I went back to work. I would speak to my manager and give them ideas to use. And me and my own team will collaborate and speak about things as well. So it did.
There is someone out there listening to this recording who has something they are passionate about but they are on-the-fence when it comes to starting. What bit of guidance would you provide to them?
I tell them if you don't follow your dreams, you don't know what could have been. Be passionate about your project. And if it's something you love, it won't feel like work. Do your research. Ask for help; don't have that big ego where you think no one can help you, because there's so much help out there and people willing to help you. So reach out to someone in the same field. Look for mentors, take classes. Be consistent. And something that's really big for me is I created a vision board. And I even gave a vision board course for some of my friends. And I keep that vision board sitting right next to my desk. And sometimes when I feel like I'm in doubt, because you're not going to always be on, I look at that vision board, and I get inspired and motivated back to get back to my project.
you've got to follow your dreams. And I learned about that, like, get over your fear. Because you never know what could have been if you don't go for it. So follow your dreams, ask for help. You know, take some classes; I'm, I'm taking classes like every day, I'm learning something. And vision boards are very good, a vision board is very good, show you all the things you want to do and you can achieve.
I have a big board. And I have all the goals of places I want to visit, things I want to do, my marketing and consulting that I want to accomplish. So I have a board. And I have motivational quotes. I have even things that are written down on places I want to visit. I said I want to be my own boss, I said I want to promote my website more. I said, you know, follow your dreams. It's all things that's positive. You put all positive things into there. It could be pictures, you know, it could be quotes, it could be something you write personally. But when you look at that board, and you fill it down some days, and you look at that board, I'm telling you, it inspires you. And it does that to me, I look right over at that board and I say get back to work.
I'm telling you, the truth it's really good. It helps me a lot. And I keep it right next to my desk, and I look right over at it every morning. And actually, I look at that board in the morning. And I read everything on it. And it's about twenty things on it. And it gets me back motivated. And I've been like the best I've ever been, you know, in the last past year. It really works. I'm telling you.
So I've had a vision board and it had my original things. And I put like another 10 sticky notes all over it. It grows, it will grow because you know what you get you got more motivated, you get that drive, you get that passion that is growing even more, so it does grow.
Lastly, are there any particular books that you have found helpful along the passion project journey? Please share 1 to 3 of them if any come to mind.
The Secret and The Power by Rhonda Byrne
The Essence of Success by Earl Nightingale