Can you really make money doing what you love, or by following your passion?

What if the thing you love is something like The Smurfs?

Gary Vaynerchuk was the first to talk about building a business around the  Smurfs. He makes a great point. Here’s my take on it.

If you LOVE the Smurfs, you know every episode like the back of your hand, have a collection of Smurf dolls, secretly have a crush on a Smurfette, and paint yourself blue every Halloween,  you could easily monetize this passion

But here’s what most people miss about what Gary’s is saying.

After Gary made his comment, hundreds will rush out in a mad frenzy to create Smurf websites. They will register domain names, build blogs, and create forums. They’re looking for a quick cash fix.

Dump a little gasoline on the wood and hope your matches aren’t wet.

Unfortunately, this will almost always fail.

The one who will win is the one I mentioned above. It’s the one who comes across Gary’s vision and finally realizes what needs to be done with his freakish Smurf obsession.

The Smurf tribe is already out there looking for that knowledgeable and passionate person to lead them. They won’t be fooled by false leaders, posers, and fakers. They will see through it. They can smell it from a mile away.

And when you really think about it, it’s actually quite simple.

Pick the thing you love most in life, and just do it. Your tribe might just  be sitting around, anxiously waiting for you to show up.