How to Turn Passion into Profit
How to Turn Passion into Profit
How can entrepreneurs set and achieve financial freedom goals?
At 27, I was making $80,000 to $90,000 a year from in-person coaching, and for the first time in my life, I had a couple of thousand dollars in savings. I had never had more than $1,000 before then. I decided to write down my dream life and calculate the cost. My goal was complete financial freedom by age 40, so I gave myself ten years to make it happen.
After doing the math, I realized I needed to earn $1.2 million per year to pay taxes, save, and invest. My target was $4 million invested, which would generate $20,000 a month—enough to fund my dream life. What surprised me most was that my ideal lifestyle only required $20,000 per month. It wasn’t an impossible number.
At the time, going from $80,000 to $1.2 million a year felt as unrealistic as earning a billion dollars. But instead of dismissing the idea, I asked myself: If it were possible, how would I do it? That’s when I started applying the concept of modeling success from Jim Rohn and Tony Robbins. I looked at people making $1.2 million a year in online coaching. Did they exist? Yes. Were there golf coaches doing it? A handful.
I studied them—what they did, how they spoke, where they networked, and what skills they developed. One thing was clear: to reach my goal, I couldn’t rely on one-on-one coaching. The only scalable path was an online membership and in-person events like golf schools. That’s when I turned to YouTube.
I needed a way to attract members, so I followed advice from Grant Cardone and Gary Vaynerchuk—get attention, get attention, get attention. I committed to posting three YouTube videos per week, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday at 10 a.m. Eastern, for eight years. In every video, I promoted CogornoGolf.com.
A big mistake I see entrepreneurs make is failing to promote their offers in their content. I made sure every video included a call to action. Growth was slow and steady. I set a goal to reach 2,000 members at $50 a month to hit $100,000 per month in revenue. I wrote it down, visualized it constantly, and stayed consistent. Eventually, we reached 1,500 members and adjusted our pricing to optimize revenue.
How can business owners improve clarity in their strategic planning?
A common issue is the lack of clarity in planning. Many people I work with, similar to issues in golf, struggle to identify the true causes of their problems. They often believe they understand what's causing the issue but misidentify the root cause. Once they figure out what to do, the next challenge is having a clear path to resolve these issues. For example, they might recognize what's causing problems but are unsure how to address them. The third challenge is willingness. Even when individuals know the solution—for instance, knowing that getting in shape requires exercising and eating well—they may lack the commitment to follow through.
What principles guide a successful shift from in-person to online business?
The principles that led to my success in building social media platforms and transitioning my in-person coaching to an online format have been consistent. These include clarifying my goals, understanding the steps needed to achieve them, and maintaining the willingness to persist, step by step, despite short-term results. This approach has helped me achieve long-term clarity and vision. For me, the key has been getting clear on where I want to go.
How did you overcome burnout in your coaching business?
Discovering Jim Rohn was a pivotal moment for me. At that point in my career, I felt burnt out from my in-person coaching business, which I had built up to an annual income of around $80,000 to $90,000—an outstanding achievement. However, I had plateaued at that level. During this period of burnout, several events coincided that eventually led me to pivot to online ventures. It all started when a friend sent me a video of Tony Robbins. I was getting ready for a night out, doing my hair in the bathroom, when I received the message. I watched the video, but it didn't resonate with me then. Perhaps I wasn't ready to hear it, or it wasn't the right message. However, a Jim Rohn video was next to it in the recommended videos.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
