From Meet the Experts: Recipe for Success: Passion, Purpose, Profit
What's the recipe to turn passion and purpose into profit? Start with passion and a plan, add a heaping of risk-taking, plenty of hard work and a laser focus. Mix these winning ingredients to flourish as an entrepreneur or in a career, said a successful celebrity caterer and network executive. Chef Roblé Ali, who has his own show on Bravo, and Constance Orlando, BET Network’s vice president of original programming, shared what worked for them during Thursday’s "Recipe for Success: Passion, Purpose, Profit" session presented by Nationwide Insurance. Orlando said she quit her corporate job to freelance as a producer for $40 a day. She decided to start a production company to make more money. "Something in the field resonated with me. When you are young you can take risks and do those things," she said. She called college friends looking for work and soon her company took off. "Once I had the moment, the stars lined up," said the executive producer of the awards program "Black Girls Rock." Roblé stepped out on faith as an entrepreneur because he hated his job. "I never liked working in a restaurant because we are working hard while everyone else is having fun." His strong work ethic and good relationships led to a host of referrals and high-profile clients such as President Obama. "There is always fear, but there is prayer, meditation and just believing. [Now] I don’t feel like I am ever working." Roblé had pitched a cooking show to Orlando years ago, but it wasn’t right for the BET audience. Roblé credited her for giving him the idea to create a character-driven reality show that serves as a commercial for his catering company. "For me, it was stepping out on a limb and investing my money into making it happen," he said. "If it didn’t work, I’d be in a bad spot. You have to be a risk -taker." |
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