Finding the right career or business idea is one of the most common challenges people face around the globe, regardless of age, race, culture or nationality. Often, individuals find themselves pulled in many different directions by societal expectations – what parents and significant others want, what the internet says is most profitable, a desperate need to turn a profit as quickly as possible, as well as a personal desire to stand out and be counted.

With so much pressure around career choice, it comes as no surprise that millions of people are dissatisfied or downright unhappy with their vocation. According to CNBC (2022), “in the US specifically, 50% of workers reported feeling frustrated at their jobs on a daily basis, 41% as being worried, 22% as sad, and the remaining 18% as angry.”

When I decided to venture into entrepreneurship,  I was given the advice; “identify a problem, find a solution & create a product.” This sounds like pretty solid advice, but I learned soon enough that it’s not necessarily a formula that everyone should follow.

1. Why simply identifying problems to solve doesn’t work

It’s a fact – there are problems everywhere in the world. Everyone on the planet has at least one issue that they would love a solution for and are willing to pay anything to solve. But, simply identifying problems isn’t enough.

I might correctly identify starvation in a vulnerable community as a problem that needs an urgent response. However, the first question should be: am I the right person to solve this problem? Secondly, do I have the right skills, aptitude and resources?

One of the biggest career issues in Zimbabwe currently is that millions of men and women have flooded the nursing profession after deciding that the shortage of nurses in the UK, USA and Australia is a problem that they should be solving personally.

Never mind the fact that a good number of them are squeamish, have an aversion for blood and other bodily fluids, and little to no tolerance for sick people.

While joining the nursing profession may seem like a noble and viable solution to a crisis, the problem is that the majority of these candidates are driven by one thing: the desire for an opportunity to move to a developed country for greener pastures. It really has nothing to do with wanting to serve humanity and attend to the sick.

It’s not surprising then that our hospitals and clinics are teeming with angry nurses who prioritize their coffee breaks over attending to sick people and will not hesitate to lash out at a patient in distress. These nurses simply identified a problem that could bring them money and decided to provide a solution, without considering if it was actually something THEY were called to do.

Sure, simply identifying and solving problems can bring quick results: services for the client or community in exchange for money. But if you’re not suited to the job or business, you’re likely to get frustrated sooner or later, and end up facing disciplinary committees for incompetence or being driven out of your mind by hoardes of disgruntled customers.

When people decide to fix problems that don’t align with who they are, they are quickly stressed out, get demoralized and find themselves on an express train to the land of burn out. Delivering solutions to clients then becomes a pain rather than a source of fulfilment.

Don’t deprive the world of your brilliance by focusing only on what is likely to bring in the most money.

Instead of basing your career or business on the ability to identify and solve problems, consider the following:

2. Your personality

Are you an introvert or extrovert? A thinker or a feeler?

There are 4 basic personality types:

i) The Driven personality, which is ambitious, focused, goal driven and often ruthless. These people have an “I don’t care what it takes or who gets hurt in the process, but I’m going to get things done” mindset.

Driven personalities are built for high performance, high pressure roles that involve authority due to their no-nonsense, go-getter approach. It’s this same approach that however makes them terrible at jobs that require sensitivity and compassion. Bottom line: you don’t want a Driven personality working as a nurse or therapist.

ii) The Influential personality on the other hand is, as the name suggests, has an innate ability to win people and garner a following. Influential personalities are pleasant, vibrant, outgoing and creative individuals who thrive on human interaction. They do exceptionally well in careers that revolve around public relations, but tend to struggle tremendously in roles that demand precision and strict adherence to procedures.

iii) The Conscientious personality, also known as the Peaceful personality, is by nature, calm supportive and nurturing, with an affinity for roles that involves taking care of others. Not surprisingly, these are the kind of people we need as nurses and counselors. Their peaceful nature however means that they struggle in high pressure roles that involve conflict and making hard decisions.

iv) The Analytical personality is logical and highly organized, with an unparalleled eye for detail. Analytical personalities shine in roles that entail precision, planning and strict adherence to protocol, but will struggle in creative roles that require them to think outside the box.

Understanding your personality is essential as it helps you identify the kinds of problems that you can solve naturally, excellently and consistently.

3. Find your passion

What do you enjoy doing? What’s the one thing you would.love to do even if you never got paid for it? Another way to look at it is; what’s the one problem you are enthusiastic about solving?

This is important to know because, first of all, it’s easier to market something you enjoy than something you don’t. Secondly, you’re more likely to be consistent and to excel if you love what you’re doing. Your passion will give you the “why” that will keep you going even in the hardest of times.

Don’t be tempted to conform to what others are doing to make money. Stay true to your passion. The fact is; most people don’t know what they need until you show them.

We didn’t know we needed Facebook, Twitter or the iPhone until their founders produced excellent products and convinced the world that social media and high quality phone technology were the future.

4. Consider your strengths

What do you do exceptionally well? What do you receive the most compliments for, consistently? What problems do you solve for others with little to no effort at all? It might be hairdressing, cooking, computer repairs or giving motivational talks.

The right career or business should align with your personal strengths, because the world rewards excellence, and this is near impossible if you choose something you are not gifted to do.

It’s important to remember that profit (money) often comes when passion and purpose intertwine. Many billionnaires have built their wealth by pursuing their passion consistently, excellently and zealously, even if it didn’t fall under the “world’s most popular business idea category.”

Finally, draw inspiration from these words by Charles Schwab;

Man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.

Charles Schwab

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