Personal Branding: Passion Floats in Pittsburgh

You never quite know where your passions will take you in life. You keep an eye open, an open mind, and who knows what will find you.

Geo-Solutions founder Chris Ryan is a great of example of acting on a gut instinct, and being present in the moment. I actually picked up on this short story in this month’s Inc. magazine, and thought it was post worthy.

Here’s the shortest version of the story. In 1984, Chris and a couple of partners formed the Three Rivers Rowing Association, a group that offers various water sporting opportunities to the people of Pittsburgh.

You’re probably thinking ok, so what’s the big deal? Well, think about taking something you love doing and sharing it with 1,300 people a year, is that big enough for you?

Let’s look at these 5 uncomplicated steps Chris took to find a solution that made himself and 1,3oo other people happy each year.

1) Chris didn’t go brain surgeon on this one. Chris knew he loved rowing and understood it was one of his passions.
2) Chris identified a problem. In Pittsburgh there weren’t any local boat houses so he was forced to drive to the next city to go rowing. Not cool.
3) Chris came up with a solution. Since there were no available boathouses in his local area….hmmm why not just create one.
4) Chris acted out of passion, and not out of monetary aspirations (not that there’s anything wrong with that) in fact, the company is a registered non-profit. Chris is on a roll here!
5) Chris created something his community could benefit from. He realized the absolute magic that exists in turning “my solution” into “our solution.”

When you focus your brand around anything other than passion, you fall short on the key element that turns a small independent idea into an experience you can share with the world, it’s called authenticity.