Many books out there talk about doing what you love…
That life is too short to waste doing things we hate.
I agree but with one caveat.
You need to be able to make a living doing what you love.
People forget that you can do what you love and still end up in the poor house.
Hence the expression, “starving artist.” All over the world there are artists, models, actors and musicians that love what they do…there’s only one problem, they’re not very good at it…or at least they can’t make enough money doing what they love and have to make ends meet doing odd jobs such as bar tending or working part-time at the local store.
It’s not only about doing what you love but doing something that provides for you and your needs.
Each year thousands of entrepreneurs the world over proceed to quit their day jobs in order to pursue their dreams and start their own business.
Unfortunately, statistics aren’t kind to those people with over 90% of businesses going under in 5 years.
But here’s the good news…it can be done.
Just ask Nick Woodman.
His is a success story and one I just recently became aware of.
A billionaire in less than 10 years…
His business? Wearable cameras that capture footage for athletes as they maneuver themselves down Class V rapids in their kayaks or whiz down mountains at breakneck speed.
Just how did he do it?
Let me tell you…
Woodman actually graduated from UC San Diego with a major in visual arts and proceeded to go bust in his first venture when the dot.com bubble burst.
Undeterred, in 2002 he got the itch again and struck upon an idea while surfing in Australia and Indonesia. He had become frustrated at being unable to take good actions shots of himself and friends while catching waves.
At the time the only option was for surfers to use disposable cameras strapped to their wrists with a rubber band. No match for the surf camera after camera ended up with a watery grave.
Woodman set out to change all this.
His vision was to create a strong, adjustable, elastic band that could be secured to a person’s body and capture people’s every movement in extreme sports.
The result, GoPro camera straps.
Slowly but surely word of mouth grew and Woodman started expanding his line to cameras and mounts that could be used for racecar drivers and motorcyclists to capture their adventures on and off the track.
Enthusiasts began uploading videos of their GoPro experiences on social media sites such as YouTube and FB and things took off.
Today the company employs over 300 people and has all sorts of goodies that can be purchased to capture some of the most intense videos you’ll ever see.
Below I have included a video that shows just what their latest camera is capable of and let me tell you, it’s nothing short of spectacular.
I even had to watch it twice with my wife and son when they came home, it’s that good. If you do nothing else this week, just watch this video…it’ll blow your mind.
The colors are so rich and vibrant that they make me want to put this on my X-Mas list for 2013…
It just goes to show you, you can have your cake and eat it, too.
All it takes is an idea, hard work and dedication.
Nick Woodman had all three and is now reaping the rewards.
So if any of you are into extreme sports, do yourself a favor and get yourself one of these…then be sure to send me a link of your next adventure.
Enjoy the video!
Adrian Shepherd