Why I am not passionate about leather- I’m passionate about the game

People always want to believe founders start with some deep, poetic passion.

Like there’s this moment where the heavens open and you “find your calling.”

Nope. Not even close!!

You want to know the real reason I started my company?

I didn’t want to get a job!!

That’s it. That is the whole emotional backstory.

And here is the truth most people really don’t want to hear:

The thing you love isn’t what builds the business- loving the game builds the business.

Think about it:

Designers love designing.

Artists love creating.

Chefs love cooking.

Golfers love golfing.

And almost every one of them eventually thinks:

“Well… I love this thing, so I should start a business doing it.”

And that’s exactly how people ruin the thing they love.

You like Chinese food?

That does not mean you should open a Chinese restaurant!!

You love golfing?

Please don’t start a golf equipment company!!

Give it six months…. you will hate golf and lose money.

The mistake is always the same:

People think loving the product will make them love running the company.

But the company is not the product.

The company is the process.

And very few people actually love the process because there is no balance in this thing.

Yes there are seasons, chaos, pressure, and constant moving pieces that never line up neatly.

But that is why I have never been “passionate about leather.”

I don’t wake up excited to touch hides or smell materials.

I wake up excited to figure out:

How do we scale?

How do we forecast next year?

How do we hit our numbers this month?

How do we fix the thing that broke yesterday?

How do we make customers fall in love with us again today?

That is the game.

That is the fun.

This is the stuff that actually builds an empire!!

Fall in love with the process, and the results will show up later.

Always.

Curtis Matsko - CEO & Founder of Portland Leather Goods