Some people are lucky enough to know what career they want to pursue from an early age. Sometimes that’s owning their own company, and other times it might be gaining the education and experience to land their dream job at their dream company.

1. TURNING YOUR
PASSION INTO AN
ENTREPRENEURIAL
OPPORTUNITY
NORBERT WICKI

2. Some people are lucky
enough to know what
career they want to pursue
from an early age.
Sometimes that’s owning
their own company, and
other times it might be
gaining the education and
experience to land their
dream job at their dream
company.

3. SOME PEOPLE, HOWEVER, MIGHT THINK THEY
KNOW WHAT THEY WANT TO DO ONLY TO
HAVE THAT DESIRE SHIFT HALFWAY
THROUGH AN UNDERGRADUATE OR
GRADUATE DEGREE. I’VE BEEN THERE. I
INITIALLY OBTAINED A HIGH SCHOOL
DIPLOMA IN ECONOMICS AND THEN DECIDED
TO PURSUE A LAW DEGREE. AFTER I GOT MY
DEGREE, I REALIZED THAT THE LAW
INDUSTRY HELD NO APPEAL FOR ME. IT WAS
A REWARDING EXPERIENCE, BUT I KNEW IN
MY GUT I HAD NO TRUE PASSION FOR IT.

4. Whichever one of these applies to you
doesn’t matter. What matters is that you let
yourself be guided by your passions so that
you end up where you want to be, in an
industry that will provide you with the
highest level of personal and professional
satisfaction. For me: that was eventually
owning my own business, even if the nature
of that business fluctuated a few times over
the years.

5. AS TIME WENT ON, I SAW MYSELF
STARTING A CONSULTING
BUSINESS. I EVENTUALLY GOT
INTO PRIVATE BANKING, BUT
QUICKLY REALIZED THAT I HAD
NO DESIRE TO NAVIGATE BIG-
BANK POLITICS. INSTEAD, I
WANTED A BUSINESS THAT WAS
BUILT ON — AND INFLUENCED BY
— ALL OF MY OWN IDEAS, WHICH
LED ME TO FOUNDING WETEC,
MY CONSULTING FIRM THAT
PROVIDES PROJECT
MANAGEMENT AND FINANCING
SERVICES TO COMPANIES IN THE
MIDDLE EAST.

6. My company wouldn’t exist if I didn’t
let my early passion drive my
professional development.
Sometimes I try to imagine the what-
ifs of what my life would be today if I
hadn’t followed that path, but it’s
difficult to even entertain those ideas
because I don’t think there would
have been an outcome where I didn’t
turn my passion into a lucrative
entrepreneurial opportunity.

7. I encourage you to do the same
for yourself, especially if your
dream is to start your own
company. Being an entrepreneur
demands an excitement, drive,
and dedication that not many
people are born with. If you have
it, then you’ll soon have your own
entrepreneurial story to share with
others. Just don’t be hesitant
about throwing yourself all-in to
this venture.

8. ENTREPRENEURSHIP IS RISKY
AND FINANCIALLY
UNPREDICTABLE. BECAUSE OF ITS
UNCERTAINTY, I’VE SEEN PEOPLE
TAKE ON CAREERS THEY DON’T
LIKE BECAUSE THEY THINK THEY
HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE IF THEY
WANT TO SUPPORT THEMSELVES
OR THEIR FAMILY. I GET IT, BUT
IT’S A SAD MENTALITY TO
WITNESS.

9. You have to be willing to take risks. You have to
be willing to push yourself far outside of your
comfort zone. You have to have enough grit to
survive the hurdles and challenges that will test
you along the way. But, believe me, it’s worth it
when you can look back and see the framework
you’ve built along the way. Saying “I did this” is
worth the reward, no matter how long it takes
for you to get there.