“A wise man once told me that if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life, and so if you’re working in your passion it’s not really work its pure fun”
Successful entrepreneurs have been attributed with having extraordinary skills and special talents for their astute identifying of opportunities. Yet upon closer inspection what has been uncovered is that they possess gifts that are no more special than anybody elses, what they possess that allows them the ability to capture opportunities is that they follow the nudge to do something based on an instinct and not on evidence. The nudge in question is the calling of the heart and the whisper of intuition.
99FM’s MYD Smart sat down with a Namibian who says that he always known what his true passion was but it was only recently that he decided to start his own business doing what he loves to do. Heinrich Kohne says he has “always been around and had a love for bicycles”. He started his career in bicycle shops about 12 years ago where his knowledge and his love for the sport grew day by day. Establishing himself in the cycling arena he says his client base grew year on year as he met the needs of his customers. It wasn’t until many years later that he would take the leap of starting his own cycling focused business.
When asked what developments he has seen in cycling in the last few years, Heinrich notes that “in the late 90’s with Mountain Biking for example, if there was a turn of 50 people for an event it was a good turnout. Now there tends to be 200 – 300 people coming out for club races alone”.
Heinrich was part of the group of enthusiastic cyclists who established the trails on Farm Windhoek, a farm close enough to Windhoek to be convenient but far enough out of town to provide town dwellers with an often much needed break from urban life. Farm Windhoek, although a private farm, has been developed into trails by a group of local outdoor enthusiasts. These trails are used for hiking, mountain biking, trail running, dog walking and bird watching. Heinrich was part of the group that set these trails up and held the position of trail manager for Farm Windhoek for a while. However he says “when the opportunity came to open up my own shop, I went for it” A year after he opened the doors of Cycledelic he says “It’s not always easy for every person to find and follow their passion but a wise man once told me that if you do what you love you’ll never work a day in your life, and so if you’re working in your passion it’s not really work its pure fun”. He is also quick to note though that this does not mean it is an easy path as there are many obstacles a business owner faces, however the path has much more potential to be rewarding if it’s doing something you are passionate about.
Heinrich’s passion for bicycles beams in his eyes when he notes that “cycling isn’t only a sport as it is also a mode of transport for a lot of people and a mode of transport that is growing day by day as traffic congestion forces town dwellers to look for alternative transportation.” He is also quick to point out the “perfect climate we have in Namibia for cycling with our idyllic weather” noting the many benefits of the sport and transportation mode.
Heinrich has been involved in cycling at almost all levels in Namibia having been involved at the federation level of cycling in Namibia and having trained cyclists and with pride he says “It’s amazing to see the sport growing and the number of people involved in cycling booming”
A clear example of the benefits of following your heart and your passion, Heinrich now a proud business owner says that if he had of followed the advice of others and worked in any other field other than the space of his passion, he would have rotted away and ultimately so too would have his successes.
To get in touch with Heinrich, take a look at his business website here : Cycledelic
Or take a look at their Facebook page here : Cycledelic
For more information on Farm Windhoek, take a look at their website here : Farm Windhoek