Young Australian entrepreneur Tom McPherson is renowned for his business acumen and has created a 7-figure portfolio out of his thriving businesses and investment strategies. As the founder of Motor Culture Australia, a platform for auto enthusiasts that’s attracted over 100,000 members, McPherson has invested in a number of other companies and is currently creating his second online brand. When asked what it is that specifically fuels his drive, McPherson’s response is an unexpected one:
“It’s passion. The passion for what I do drives me forward – it influences my attitude, my decisions and my actions, day in, day out.”
McPherson believes that being passionate about your work helps you become more creative, helping you to resolve your problems and ultimately to achieve greater success.
“Once you realize what you’re passionate about, the sky’s the limit. Your creativity and imagination can kick in, so you can think about how to develop something from nothing and come up with solutions to the problems you might encounter. My advice would be to start asking yourself what you’re passionate about so you can reach your full potential and start making money.”
In his own case, it was his passion for cars that inspired him to create Motor Culture Australia. Growing up, he loved dirt biking with his brother, and was never happier than when he got to attend car meets. But as he grew older and became more aware of the car scene, he realized that there was a desperate need for a safe, non-judgmental community for car lovers. Motor Culture was born, and with McPherson’s creativity and imagination, the platform has grown into the overwhelming success it is today.
When it comes to discovering what your passion might be, McPherson suggests looking back on your life to the things you were passionate about as a child.
“We often tend to drift away from what we used to love, so don’t be afraid to look back. Our natural talents often emerge when we’re young.”
Some other suggestions from McPherson:
- Learn everything there is to know about your passion.
Read everything you can get your hands on, take classes, and talk to people. Get all the advice you can from the experts in your field. I never stop researching or learning from my peers. And I consistently seek and take on critical feedback. For me, there’s always more to learn, more to discover. I never want to feel as if I know everything there is to know; then I’d be complacent.
- Set goals and stick to them.
Being passionate about something doesn’t mean doing what you want when you feel like it. You have to have a good business plan, and even more important, you have to execute it. Also, there’s never a ‘perfect’ time to start. There is no secret to starting a business. The key is to just do it and learn as you go.
- Take a stand about what you believe in.
If you really care about something, then don’t just keep it to yourself. If you recognize an injustice, have the courage to stand up against it and make people understand why it’s important. You will need to be resilient and stay focused. I still have to put up with a lot of hate and negativity directed towards me. You just have to learn to block out the hate and the noise.
- Work hard to improve yourself.
There’s always room for improvement. Work hard to learn new things, gain new experiences, and to be the best possible version of yourself.
Most of all, believe in yourself and don’t be afraid to push the boundaries!