"Stop chasing money and stop chasing passion. Start chasing needs. Money flows to the person who solves problems." — MJ DeMarco
"Follow your passion and you will never work a day in your life."
We have all heard this advice. It sounds romantic. It sounds inspiring.
But MJ DeMarco says it is the worst advice you can give to an aspiring entrepreneur.
In Part 6 of The Millionaire Fastlane series, we discuss the Commandment of Need. The hard truth is: The market does not care about your passion. It only cares about its own problems.
1. Detailed Analysis: The Market is Selfish
Imagine you love knitting sweaters for cats. That is your passion. You open a business selling them.
Nobody buys. Why?
Because nobody needs sweaters for cats. (Or the market is too small).
Money is a Certificate of Value
Money is not evil; it is neutral. Money is simply a certificate that says "You did something valuable for me."
• The market doesn't care if you mortgaged your house.
• The market doesn't care if you worked 100 hours.
• The market doesn't care if you "love" your product.
The market asks only one question: "What is in it for me?" If you don't have a compelling answer, you go bankrupt.
2. Why Passion Leads to Poverty
When you start with Passion ("What do I love?"), you usually end up in a crowded market.
Example: The Travel Blogger
Thousands of people love traveling. They start travel blogs.
Result: Supply is huge. Demand is limited. 99% of travel bloggers make ₹0.
Because they started with "I love travel," not "What problem do travelers have?"
The Fastlane Approach:
Don't ask "What do I love doing?"
Ask "What do people hate doing?"
If you solve something people hate (like filing taxes or cleaning toilets), you will make millions. You may not love the activity, but you will love the Freedom it buys you.
3. Look for the Pain
Opportunities are not found in "Great Ideas." They are found in complaints.
Listen to the language of the world. Whenever you hear these phrases, there is a business opportunity:
- "I hate..."
- "This sucks..."
- "Why is this so hard?"
- "I wish there was..."
- "Why do I have to wait so long?"
Example: "I hate waiting for a taxi." → Uber/Ola.
"I hate going to the grocery store." → Blinkit/Zepto.
Stop looking for "ideas." Start looking for "pain."
4. Real-Life Examples (Indian Context)
Ritesh Agarwal (OYO Rooms)
Did Ritesh Agarwal have a burning childhood passion for budget hotels and bedsheets? Probably not.
But he traveled and saw a huge Pain Point: Budget hotels in India were dirty, unsafe, and unreliable.
He didn't follow his passion; he followed a massive Need. He standardized the rooms. He solved a problem for millions of travelers. That is why he is a billionaire.
The "Photographer" Passion Trap
In India, many young people buy a DSLR and become "Candid Wedding Photographers."
Why? Because it's "cool" and they "love" it.
But the market is saturated. Everyone has a camera. Prices crash. Only the top 1% make money. The rest struggle because they followed passion without checking if the market needed another photographer.
5. Passion is Fuel, Not the Compass
DeMarco doesn't say you should hate your work. He says passion should be the Fuel, not the steering wheel.
The Strategy:
1. Find a Need (Steering Wheel).
2. Build a solution.
3. Bring your Passion (Fuel) to serve that solution excellently.
If you love fitness, don't just "work out." Open a gym for busy moms (Specific Need). Use your passion to make that gym the best in town.
Equation: Need + Passion = Success.
Equation: Passion - Need = Hobby.
Key Takeaways
- Serve, Don't Chase: Stop chasing money. Start serving needs. Money follows service.
- Selfishness Fails: If your business is about "doing what you love," you are being selfish. Business is about "doing what they need."
- Complaints are Gold: Every time someone complains, an entrepreneur sees a gold mine.
- Value First: You don't get paid for your time; you get paid for the value you deliver to the marketplace.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Does this mean I have to do boring work?
A: Initially, maybe. Building a sewage treatment plant might be boring, but it pays millions. Once you have the millions, you can do whatever "exciting" stuff you want.
Q2: Steve Jobs followed his passion, right?
A: No. Steve Jobs was passionate about Zen Buddhism. He didn't become a monk. He saw a Need for personal computers that were easy to use. He applied his design passion to solve a market need.
Q3: How do I know if there is a need?
A: Look for competition. If people are already paying for bad solutions, there is a need for a good solution. Or look for "Inconvenience." If something is hard to do, people will pay to make it easy.
Up next: Part 7 – The Commandment of Entry (Avoid Crowded Roads).
📚 Credit & Disclaimer:
This post is a summary based on the bestseller "The Millionaire Fastlane" by MJ DeMarco. Content is for educational purposes only.
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