[josefresco]

"Quite a few companies are built by people who have no passion for that business. They are in the axis mundi to strike gold. It makes me sad."

Worked or is working for Tony Hsieh @Zappos who couldn't give a crap about shoes.

I realize the author is actually talking about start-up founders and not CEO's of successful corporations, but we should be weary of the advice that you must be passionate about your market/product to be successful.

[beat]

You don't need to be passionate about the product of your business. Tony Hsieh may not care that much about shoes, but he cares tremendously about customer service and employee satisfaction. He's not making happy shoes, he's making happy customers and happy employees.

Frankly, lots of businesses don't require "passion" in the eros sense about the product. One doesn't become passionate about dry cleaning, or transmission overhauls, or phlebotomy. The vast majority of jobs pay because they're necessary but not interesting. Products that inspire deep passion, like music or farming, rarely pay well, because passion is its own reward.

If you want to make money, become really good at doing something that doesn't inspire passion, preferably something that most people really hate or fear. Get rewarded with pride in quality work, and the pay that comes with doing something that sucks for people who need it done.

[smacktoward]

> If you want to make money, become really good at doing something that doesn't inspire passion, preferably something that most people really hate or fear.

Excellent point. The British have a saying for this: "where there's muck, there's brass." (http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/where-the...)

[icebraining]

He didn't say they can't be successful.