Turning Your Passion into a Business with Vikram Seth

By day, Vikram Seth is a Senior Economist working on renewable energy at Shell. By night, he is the co-founder of Bounce Bhangra, an award winning combination of high energy cardio and Indian dance. In Never Normal Episode 018 we discussed Vikram's sabbatical - taking a break from work to find balance in life. In this episode we discuss how Vikram approached making money without a job, and the process and struggles of turning something you love doing into a business.

Episode notes

In this episode we discuss:

How do you survive during an unpaid sabbatical?
The psychological stress of not having a salary
What Vikram learned about psychology from Elon Musk at University
The 2,000 year old ritual that Tim Ferriss still practices to prepare for adversity
If you want to start something new, should you burn your bridges or leave yourself an escape?
Overcoming the limiting belief that you are your job
The massive lie hidden in our education and employment systems
The creative approach to work that unites the greatest thinkers from Richard Feynman to Ernest Hemingway, David Ogilvy, and Richard Branson
Tactics for tapping into your subconscious mind to overcome creative blocks
Dealing with the mental struggle of asking your first clients for money
Why Vikram (an economist) and his brother Mrinal (a designer and developer) started teaching traditional Indian dance classes
The common denominator that determines your success in any business or job
Should you "scratch your own itch" when starting a business?
How to deal with starting a business and having zero customers show up
The Magic of the Internet, Micro-niches, and following your own passion
How the internet is "undoing the industrial revolution" for creators
Going in to "Fear Mode"
Balancing "scale of impact" vs "direct impact"
What if you could keep your job and pursue your passion?

Links to Resources and Books Mentioned:

Vikram on Twitter (https://twitter.com/vsethco)
Bounce Bhangra Website (https://bouncebhangra.com/)
Bounce Bhangra on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/bouncebhangra/)
Tim Ferriss on Practicing Poverty (https://tim.blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/137-tim-ferriss-how-to-practice-poverty-and-reduce-fear.pdf)
Kevin Kelly's essay "1,000 True Fans" (https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/)