How Does Love Affect Your Small Business?

When looking to open a small business it is important to look at what you love to do. We have all heard many times that if you love what you do, then you will never work a day in your life. That may be a tad idealistic, working in the field that you love sure does help.

An outstanding example is a lady who loved cooking, but did not have an easy life. By the time she was 23, both her parents had died. She had been divorced after a marriage of 25 years ended and was left with two sons to raise on her own, almost penniless after a bad divorce agreement. To complicate things even more she suffered from agoraphobia and basically became homebound. Yet, she knew that she had to provide food for her young children. She first attempted to hold a job as a bank teller. About a year into her job she was held at gun point during an attempted bank robbery. This escalated her fear of leaving her home. She was determined, however, to provide for her children so she started a business from her home known as the Bag Lady. These meals were cooked by the lady and delivered by her sons, Jamie and Bobby, to homes and businesses in Savannah, Georgia.

Have you figured out who the lady is? Here are some more clues. The Bag Lady business soon outgrew what she could do in her home and she moved to the kitchen of the Best Western Motel in Savannah, Georgia. Ten years after starting the Bag Lady she opened her first restaurant in downtown Savannah named The Lady And Sons. The restaurant served the food that she loved to prepared fried chicken, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese and green beans. Soon the restaurant became a favorite with those visiting Savannah and in 1999, just three short years after opening, USA Today named it the International Meal of the Year.

That same year, she appeared in her first television show which was named Doorknock Dinners. In 2006 she released her first cookbook, which was a huge success. The book was called ?The Lady & Sons Just Desserts: More Than 120 Sweet Temptations From Savannah's Favorite Restaurant.? In 2002 she debuted her first cooking series called Paula's Home Cooking. Soon the series was taped from her Savannah, Georgia home. Still she was not satisfied with her success. Her passion for cooking continued to drive her desire to have more. In 2008, she opened her second restaurant in Tunica, Mississippi, at Harrah's Tunica Casino.

Have you figured out who she is yet? The answer is Paula Deen. When everything was going against her she managed to pull herself up by her bootstraps and become a name that is recognized in every home in America. Today her estimated net worth is $16 million dollars. She is still doing what she loves, cooking.

What is your love? How can you turn it into a career so that you will never work a day in your life?