What's Love Got to Do With it?

In contrast, Bill Anderson pegs himself as a guy following a market opportunity rather than his passion. Anderson, 53, owns three The UPS Store locations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. "My business plan from the get-go was to establish [an ongoing] concern revolving around multiple units, where I would be the president and run the store through staff," says Anderson. In business since 1996, he says he's doing well, with his 12-employee franchise business bringing in $1.2 million in sales annually.

On the surface, Anderson's approach may seem analytical and a bit cold-blooded, but that's not quite accurate. While he certainly wasn't in love with the shipping business, he did understand it, having previously owned a health-care automation firm where he gained shipping experience as a customer at stores like The UPS Store. Anderson says there was a sort of passion in his decision: "I had a passion to work for myself." Even now, Anderson is energized by helping others achieve their dreams of business ownership as chair of The UPS Store's franchisee advisory council. He also sits on the International Franchise Association board.

So who has the better approach? Cook, the motorcycle lover, or Anderson, the clear-eyed shipping realist? In reality, experts say success isn't about passion or market smarts. "You have to have both," says Therese Flaherty, director of the Wharton Small Business Development Center at the University of Pennsylvania. "Yes, your business absolutely must get you up in the morning and keep you enthusiastic. But you must pursue your dream with the best tools you can get."

Emphasize Sales Growth

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Julie Turner, who started out as a kindergarten teacher, knew she couldn't spot a market opportunity--but she did love working with people. When she bought her Express Personnel Services staffing franchise in 1995, she set about learning the business model through the franchise's classes, and she hired staff to do the back-office work. Now, her Fort Worth, Texas franchise boasts $13 million in revenues for 2004. She enjoys being the "face" of her business with clients and potential clients. "I love being out, meeting people, helping people find jobs. It gets in your blood," she says.

Turner, 35, says passionate types like her are one step ahead because their enthusiasm is contagious to customers and staff. Passion is hard to come by, she reasons, but expert business analysis can always be found for a fee. "Frankly, if you're not going to go out and sell, you don't have anything to analyze," says Turner. "That's how I look at it." Conversely, for analytical types who lack Turner's gift of gab, she suggests you "hire your weakness" and get a good sales staff.

Turner's enthusiasm for meeting with potential clients jibes with the first rule of business, according to Flaherty. "The biggest mistake is to not allocate time and attention to improve business and look for new sales," Flaherty says. "If you don't do that, you don't have a chance to put anything else in place."

Follow Your Nose

Following a market opportunity was the rule for "ski bum" Mark Curran, co-founder of Black River Produce in Proctorsville, Vermont. When he began the business selling produce in the 1970s, neither he nor his business partner, Stephen Birge, knew anything about their product. Rather, their passion in life was skiing. However, neither wanted to make a business out of skiing--the vicissitudes of that industry seemed too daunting. Instead, they discovered that local households and restaurants had problems finding fresh, high-quality produce. So the two went into business--making deals with nearby farmers and renting an old barn and a Volkswagen bus. "We were looking for a business opportunity," says Curran, 50. "But once we did [it], it was a passion for working for ourselves."

The first thing Curran and Birge learned was that their business plan wasn't working. Originally, Black River Produce was a retail store selling produce and vitamins, while the wholesale side of the business consisted of picking up some vegetables for local restaurants. But as the wholesale end quickly outpaced the retail end, Black River switched gears. "You have to follow your nose," says Curran, summing up his philosophy of looking for a market opportunity and pursuing it.

Black River Produce now has $31 million in revenues and a fleet of more than 30 trucks and 155 employees. Curran says Black River's success helped him realize his dream of buying a farmhouse and raising his four children near his beloved ski slopes. And he didn't mind the hard work, sometimes joining farmers in the fields to pick corn. "When Steve and I started the business, we went three years without a day off," Curran says. "But when you're working for yourself, you don't even think about it."

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