How to Turn Your Passion into Profits Today

Do you have a passion but don’t know how to make money from it? In this episode, I’m breaking down the exact steps to turn what you love into a profitable business—without the guesswork or overwhelm.

You’ll learn:
 ✅ How to validate your passion and make sure there’s demand
 ✅ The best ways to package your skills into products or services
 ✅ How to land your first paying customer (even if you’re just starting!)
 ✅ Visibility strategies to build credibility and attract more clients
 ✅ How to scale and create sustainable income

.Ready to take action? Grab my FREE Passion to Profit Roadmap here

Listen, Subscribe & Share! If you loved this episode, leave a review and tell me what passion you’re turning into profit! 

Transcript

How to Turn Your Passion into Profits Today 3/24

00:00:00 Julie DeLucca: Do you have a passion but don't know how to make money from it? You're not alone. Today, I'm going to show you how to take what you love and turn it into a profitable business. Without burnout or guesswork. And you might be wondering, Julie, why does that matter? Well, simple. More people than ever want to monetize their skills, but they don't know where to start. And my friend, that was me five years ago. Well, let's go back thirteen years ago. When I first married Dan and moved to Connecticut, I was not sure if I was going to be able to stay and work from a remote place in my business, in the business that I worked for in New York City. And with that uncertainty, I knew that I wanted to kind of be the captain on my own ship, but I wasn't sure how to do it. So I decided that I would start my own little side hustle side business. And I signed up with a multi-level marketing company and I, because I love their products, I like them and how hard can it be to, you know, Run a business. And by the way, I know a lot of women that run businesses and multi-level marketing and they're very good at it. However, I am not. And I'll tell you why. Mainly because I like to really be in charge and decide how to do things. And there were things that, you know, didn't make sense to me. However, I did do that for two years and it gave me a lot of great insights. Now fast forward to 2020. I had been grappling with the concept of going out on my own, of starting my own business, but I was so afraid to Afraid of what people were going to think. I mean, after all, I had a very successful career. I was earning a six-figure salary. I was the top of the top when it comes to corporate environments. I was part of that C-suite. And yet there was that part of me that said, do you want more? I know you want more. I know you want to do more. And I kept grappling with the fact that I didn't know where to do, what to do, how to do it. And That passion that I had for helping women, for allowing them to feel the confidence that it takes to go after your dreams, just like I had been doing for over twenty years in my career. I knew that I wanted to do that. So I sat on the sidelines wondering and asking myself, is this all there is? Do I have what it takes? How do I get to that next step? And it was so scary to think that I could take a leap and then not land correctly. However, you know, the universe had other plans for me. The universe went ahead and took matters into their own hands. Well, you can say universe or God, really, honestly. And I got a kick in the pants. I woke up on March 24th, 2025. And as I woke up, it was another big day starting during this pandemic. And I was working from home for the company that I worked for in New York. And I got a call toward the end of the day. And the call said, Julie, we need to let you go. And at that moment, there was so much, well, sadness, unbelief, and then all of a sudden, a little flame of excitement. And yes, I was incredibly disappointed and sad because I had poured myself into this organization. I had Given it everything, I had been so loyal to the organization and when it came down to it, I was not needed and I was disposable. Of course, as someone who was about to turn fifty being disposable was something that hits and it hits to the core. As I took a deep breath, I decided, okay, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to go out on my own. And I didn't know how or where or anything other than I needed to notice that I was feeling a lot of pain, a lot of uncertainty, but also a lot of excitement. And as the night passed on, I did a little crying and certainly decided that, well, tomorrow is another day. And as I laid in bed, you know, the last time I laid in bed with my mind just going a hundred miles per hour, not being able to be asleep because there were so many different thoughts and feelings. Feelings going through my body and my brain was when my dad died. I remember that feeling when he died that nothing like my mind just kept going and This time around when I lost my job, when I was laid off, I sat in bed with that despair and then all of a sudden I allowed myself to get curious and say, well, what is my mission? What is my vision? And I sat up in bed, grabbed my phone, and began to write down All of the things that I wanted to have as my vision and mission for whatever it was going to be, a lot of them included helping women find the confidence that I need it. A lot of that Was also creating an impact and leaving a legacy so that women had a roadmap to go after their dreams and to know that they could. Despite what the world may say, I wanted to also share with others that an age is just a number, but your mindset and how you decide to use your gifts in the world matters because the Someone is out there needing your message, needing your gifts. And I knew that that also applied to myself. My gifts, my message, my know-how was something that I wanted to share with the world and help others. So today, ask yourself, Would I be doing this if I didn't get paid? And my friends, I have to say what I'm doing today is definitely something that I would continue to do even if I didn't make money from it. Once you ask yourself this question, find proof that are other people getting paid for this thing that I would not get paid for but that I would like to get paid for, right? And use the market research. Go to Google Trends. Go to Reddits. Go to some of the blogs and social media. Engage the interest of the thing that you're passionate about. of the thing that you know how to do better than anybody else so validate your passion find the way in which other people are making it work And that passion, although you will do it despite getting paid, find if there is a possibility that other people are making money from it. Once you validate your passion, you want to go ahead and package your passion. Okay. It's kind of like Christmas shopping. You go to the store and you know, you know, I want to buy that gift for that special person and you kind of know what it is and you're so excited about it but you don't really know and then you're like, well, Will they use it? Is this something that we'll find helpful or is it just something that I think I'm crazy about? So once you get that gift, you bring it home and you put it in a really pretty package and get ready to give to the receiver. The same way your product or service, whether it's a digital product, a coaching, physical things, or a membership, right? Find out what is it and package it in a way that the person that needs it will gain from it. So for instance, for me, I knew that I had a lot of knowledge, a lot of know-how. And how to grow a business. Also, how to become a leader within an organization. How to be able to speak in front of people. How to be able to kind of think outside the box and create a strategic plan. To reach a specific goal and not just a project goal, but a process goal, right? How do you process something to break it down into small manageable steps? Once I figured out all of the different things, right, what my passion was, that people would pay for it, and then I started to figure out that I could package it through coaching. People pay, remember this, people don't pay for information, they paid for transformation. So as I remember hearing this for the first time five years ago, I thought, what is a transformation that I'm going to be able to help someone with? And this not only applies for entrepreneurs, but this applies for the woman who is sitting in a corporate environment in their office and they want to go to the next level in their career. And they're thinking, well, I don't know. Like, what are my gifts? Well, think about what people are willing to pay you for. And think about the transformation that your skills, your gift will give to somebody. For instance, for me, the transformation that someone receives when they work with me is that they go from being that uncertain entrepreneur to all of a sudden being the person that has the recipe, that has the roadmap to get them to the next level. And at times, you know, it's about trusting that your process works, not only for you, but for others. Now, I have a few clients and I'll tell you the story of Amanda and I know she won't mind me talking about her because she's amazing. Um, Saturday night, Amanda, who I met because she wanted to hire me as her coach. held a party she had a party for all of her clients at a restaurant here in Connecticut and she invited me and as I walked into the room as I've done three years in a row I looked at the people around and I noticed that every single one of them was so grateful for the service that Amanda offers them. Every single one of them had different stories of why they started a journey to health. Now Amanda is a personal trainer and has a boutique gym where she offers personal training for others. As I looked around the room, I realized that Amanda was paying not just for the information and the know-how of how to work out, but she was paying for the transformation that The people that were being with her, coming to be her clients, right, were the individuals who loved who they were becoming. Shedding the person that was unable to work out, shedding the person that was overweight, shedding the person that did not feel confident when it came to being in a gym. They were all of a sudden becoming confident. That person they envision because Amanda gave them the roadmap. And again, they pay her for that transformation. Because by the way, anybody can go and Google a workout. Anybody can, you know, at At this point, go into any of the social media platforms and find a personal trainer. But Amanda believes in them and helps them transform. She sees that vision. She is that believing mirror for that person. So just like Amanda, you can turn your simple skills, whether it be baking, designing, consulting, into a thriving business as long as you know the transformation that you're creating for somebody else. Now, how do you find your first paying clients? Well, leverage your network, your friends, your LinkedIn, your social media. And that's a little bit of what Amanda did. That's a little bit of what I've done as well. When I launched my business, I approached individuals who I knew would possibly need my skill set and immediately I said, hey, would you like my help with that? And wouldn't you know it, they said yes. So leverage that network and maybe your friend or your family, right, is not ready or doesn't need you, but they sure know somebody who does. And by the way, I will have to say that We cannot build a business on friends and family, but we can build a business on network. And that's what our friends and family create, a network. A web of people that we can expand to and begin by offering a free, a discounted, or a beta test to your idea. So I remember my first client. And I think I can talk about her, Annemarie. I said, Annemarie, would you like me to coach you? And she said, okay. And we started working together. And as I started to validate and understand what she was looking for when it came to building her business, I was able to refine and define what I offered for people. Now, if you're looking to get your first paying customers, whether it be through a trial or a beta or a test, make sure that you have a way for people to pay you. So that's the first thing that you need to have is A way either stripe or PayPal Venmo or website checkout, whatever it might be, set it up so that you have income coming in. And again, you're validating your idea. Next, I want you to stand in your power. And for a lot of people, especially those introverts, you're probably shaking your head and saying, I don't have any power, Julie. What do you mean? Here's exactly what I mean. Show up where your people are hanging out. The people that are looking for your baked goods, show up. Put it online. Say, hey, I am blah, blah, blah. And here, come get my baked brownies because you're going to love my brownies. Or, hey, and this is what Amanda did. She went and talked to the people that she knew were at a gym and maybe needed something more, right? So go and hang out where your people are, where your audience are and begin to teach. Don't sell. Really, for us to create a transformation, we cannot sell it. We need to teach it. We need to show someone exactly how to do it. This is what I love about my background as a teacher because it's I do, we do, and then you do. That is how you're teaching someone. You show them by example. You do it together, and then you empower them to go out and do it on their own. And of course, don't forget, once you begin to see Success, go and ask for your social proof. Say, hey, would you mind telling someone how cool I was and how I helped you with that? Because this is going to be important. Sometimes people may not know you, may not have a deep relationship with you, and they're going to need, well, A testimonial. Do you ever go to a restaurant without looking at the reviews? Certainly, I never do. Not anymore. I want to know that it's clean, that the food is okay, that the service is friendly, and When I see all of these stars align with all the things that are important to me, you can bet your bottom dollar that I'm going to be showing up at that restaurant. Why? Because they, there is social proof on that. Now, as you are putting yourself out there, building visibility and credibility, it's time to scale it and make it sustainable and The first thing that I see is a lot of entrepreneurs going all different kind of directions and they're trying to spread themselves too thin. But here is one piece of advice that I heard once from a boss. Oh, wow. Early 20s. And he said to me, do what you do best and delegate the rest. And that has been something that has stayed with me. There's periods in which I've been very good at delegating and periods in which I haven't. But for the most part... The periods in which I have had led to success. So the 80-20 rule works really well for this. 20% of our effort will give us 80% of our results. So spend your time and that 20% of effort doing the thing, the thing that only you can do. And everything else needs to be delegated and laid out to somebody else. Important that you keep this in mind because you're going to think, well, nobody can do it as well as I. And well, they're not going to know how to do it. Well, if you wanna grow, you're gonna have to teach someone how to do it. You know, by the way, I think of all the different things that I love to do. For instance, I love folding clothes when I do laundry. It just gives me this like little piece But does it matter? Does it help me when I don't allow someone to help? Because by the way, I can spend an hour folding clothes or I can share the task and With my mom, with my husband and have that hour be maybe a ten minute chore or nothing in my plate, not in my plate at all. And then I can go in and spend my time doing the thing that only I can do, which is coaching. Putting myself out there, sharing a podcast, talking to potential business partners, networking, right? And these 20% efforts are the ones that get me. To my goals that allow me to scale it, to make it sustainable. Many of my clients who don't like to delegate are the ones that don't make their business sustainable. And once you become sustainable, once you have proven that you're bringing money, doing the thing, right, then you can decide that you can make more things or do more things. I have someone that I worked with in the past and phenomenal person. She does really good work when she is focusing on that one thing. But for the most part, she focuses on everything under the sun. I'm going to sell the course. I'm going to go ahead and do the affiliate marketing. I wanna go ahead and be a speaker. I wanna launch a YouTube channel. I wanna have a podcast. I wanna go and speak in front of people. I wanna coach. I wanna have a membership. This person and really, you know, my values kind of are not aligned with someone who is not coachable, right? And I love this person. However, here's what I've learned. If someone is focusing in so many different things, they're not going to have that 20% toward the thing that moves them forward. They're going to be exhausted, exhausted. And my friends, I've been there. Every time I try to do multiple things as opposed to one thing and I try to do it all, I don't have the bandwidth. Do one thing, do it well, automate it, and then you can move to something else. But not before. Most of us think that, well, that thing didn't work. Let me go try that other thing. I'm going to go try the dropshipping because launching a podcast did not work. Well, if you then try the drop shipping and you get no orders, oh my God, drop shipping doesn't work. You know what? I think I need to write a book or I'm going to go do coaching, whatever it is. Give yourself time. If you spend a good amount of time, six months to a year, doing the thing, refining, testing, improving, then you will see that consistent action get you traction. Treat your business like a business and most businesses don't decide they're gonna go offer something else after they make a big launch. Most businesses are going to stick to that product, refine it, fix it, know how to market it, know how to get their clients, and then they will start to implement other things and they will expand. Treat your business like a business, not a homie. Now, what is one passion you'd love to turn into profit? I'd love for you to send me a DM. On Instagram, Facebook, or wherever your, your social media of choice is. Tell me what is your passion, your one passion, not a whole slew of passions. And by the way, most of us are multi-passionate. But pick one. Pick the one thing that really drives you, that really sets your heart on fire. And I want you to begin to create a roadmap towards it. You're not sure how? Send me in the DMs. Don't just tell me your passion, but say tell me how to create a passion to profit roadmap and I'll share mine with you. But most of all, remember you're not alone doing this. Remember that you can go in the direction of your dreams. You can do it in perfectly, but you can do it confidently the more that you do it because when we show up, And when we do the thing and we get that evidence that we're doing it and we become competent, we become confident. Thank you for listening, my friends. I am so glad that you're here. Don't forget, share this episode with the one person that you know needs to hear it. And again, share with me what is your one passion. Until next time, don't forget, go confidently in the direction of your dreams.