You know what they say, businesses made with passion are the ones that make a difference. It’s the case for any industry, which got us thinking: how does passion for other types of businesses differ from our passion for IT?  What is it that drives others?

To explore this notion of passion, we’ve set out to learn the stories of people who are putting a shoulder to a very different wheel than ours. As of September this year, we’re thus organizing a series of monthly internal meetups called Labors of Hercules*.

What’s It About?

At each meetup we invite a different speaker (from outside the company) to share their unique passion with us. In September, we welcomed a business lawyer. In October, there was a traditional Japanese martial arts Sensei. For November, our guest speaker was Adelina Dondorici, a tea aficionado at tea house Joie de Vivre in Bucharest.

Adelina traveled to Asia, back when she was building a strong career in media sales. Her encounter with that culture and its reverence for tea fascinated her. It was the first hint that she would change paths. Soon after returning to Romania, she visited the tea house. As the place was looking for a business partner, Adelina gladly stepped in. Reminiscing that particular decision, Adelina says that, for her, the tea business became her passion from the moment she dived into it. This is an interesting twist to the more familiar saying that one should turn their passion into a business.

We could definitely sense the passion in Adelina as she introduced us to the world of tea. She first guided us through the history of various types of tea (black, green, red and white) and infusions (herbal and fruit). Then, to make learning easier, we had a hands-on experience: Adelina invited us to guess the ingredients in various combinations. Those of us who were more intuitive even earned themselves some tea for the winter days to come! Drinking tea has something refined and mysterious about it (no wonder some cultures turned it into art!), and Adelina knew very well how to suggest this. Furthermore, by being very knowledgeable and open, she quickly captured and guided our interest. We can only imagine how she inspires her clients everyday 🙂 .

So What’s Passion In This Case?

It’s about single-handedly getting an audience of avid coffee-drinkers to enjoy high-quality tea, be intrigued by its various tastes, and even start consuming it (well, at least occasionally). It’s about communicating a certain attitude and feeling to people, setting a change in their lives for the better…really, tea is healthier than coffee! It’s about keeping this enthusiasm and professionalism every day, whether with existing clients, new ones, providers, distributors, media or simply new listeners.

Is Passion For Tea Any Different?

Let’s just say that we know every twist in our communication and collaboration software like Adelina scents every ingredient in her tea. Or that we also aim to make our clients’ lives easier and better with the products we build. It’s not that relevant whether a business becomes a passion or a passion becomes a business – that was our conclusion after the meetup. When you have both, you can change the world. First your own, then that of others.

* Wondering why the name Labors of Hercules?  Perhaps capturing Cerberus or slaying the nine-headed Hydra are too though tasks for a mortal being. Yet having a business means taking up big challenges and confronting many risks, thus appropriating the Greek legends to the contemporary scene of passionate entrepreneurs.