Passion

I’m tipping you’ve never heard of John Thorn.

Yet, there’s every chance his fingerprints are on your house and you don’t even know it.

John started his first business in the garage of his home fixing transistor radios. Back then, very few people owned a TV but everyone had a radio, and only a few people knew how to fix them.

He built an incredibly successful business and eventually sold it to buy an old, run-down brick works on the NSW South Coast.

When he bought Bulli Bricks, most people could only afford ‘red commons’ which meant most brick houses back then looked the same, red!

This was perfect for John because he loved bricks!

In fact, his passion for bricks became an obsession, importing different clays from around the world to see what types of bricks he could bake.

His favourite source was South Africa because their clays threw up the most amazing colours and textures.

Not surprisingly, he built one of the most successful brickworks in Australia with homeowners queuing up to buy his bricks…and he sold squillions of them!

Around this time every year, I get questions from parents wanting to know the ‘best career’ choice for their children.

Implicitly, they’re asking, ‘what career will give them the most financial security’?

Alternatively, they may be seeking approval/reassurance for their child to do somehting different.

The implied assumption is that going to uni and wearing a suit to work is a sign of success.

It’s also glamourous, until it’s not.

Chasing money is fine up to a point because you have to pay the bills, but you need something to sustain you. Happiness, passion, a sense of joy.

The truth is, some of the richest people I know are also some of the most miserable and boring. Their favourite subject is ‘self ‘.

In my opinion, there’s nothing more glamourous than a sincere smile connected to a heart full of purpose and passion.

And if tapping into that means encouraging your child to cook, clean, draw, farm or fix cars, then go for it.

What’s fun gets done.

There will always be a demand for builders, cooks, cleaners, and entertainers because they’re willing to do jobs most of us can’t or won’t do.

And we’re willing to pay for it too! Ka-ching!

Plenty of people baked bricks before John Thorn appeared. The difference was his passion.

And because of that, he made thousands of people happy and built himself a fortune along the way.

One brick at a time.

Have a great weekend!

Adam

Back paddock – diversity eventually leads to division and inclusion eventually leads to exclusion.