How important is a hobby to entrepreneurship? More than you’d imagine

Entrepreneurship is not just about numbers, profit, people management, and success. It is, to a large extent, about building your character, and defining your personality. While the lows of the entrepreneurial journey may help in the former, the latter is usually funded by success, especially monetary success. It's a commonly held belief that people change with money.

With the money we make, we collect things. Some of us collect experiences. Some collect stamps, or vintage wines, or limited-edition cufflinks, or vinyl, or even dung beetles. Some billionaires are known for their luxury car collection. Sometimes, the object of interest is bizarre – wigs for example. Sometimes, they are silly – say, like a collection of old telephone directories.

Image: Shutterstock

No matter how silly or bizarre it can be, having a thing for collecting things is a good thing, especially if you are an entrepreneur. Here are three benefits of having a hobby.

It teaches patience and perseverance

No matter what one collects as a hobby, the very act of building a collection is the result of perseverance and patience. Also, collecting things helps build focus. It could even get you started on the habit of reading books and researching – things that makes one interesting and knowledgeable.

It helps you network

If you have a hobby, you would seldom run out of things to talk about. Be it the school reunion, the office party, or a dinner with clients, having interesting things to talk about is a great way to build a strong network of friends and business associates. Having a hobby also connects you with fellow hobbyists.

It's a great way to spend your leisure

Having a hobby refreshes the mind. It helps develop focus. The lessons that can be learned from having a hobby can be applied in other aspects of life and work. A hobby is a great thing to apply your mind on when you get an opportunity to take your mind off work.

Your hobby has much more to offer you than you may think. If you pay good attention to the way you go about your hobby, you will be able to grasp insights to improve yourself as an entrepreneur.

Also read: The eccentric hobbies of 10 leading under-30 entrepreneurs