Can you really make money doing something you love? Yes, you can! Here’s a list of the top lucrative hobbies that make money!
Woman repotting a plant: gardening is one of the many hobbies that make money
If you follow your passion, you will never work a day in your life, right? But can your favorite hobbies really make you money?
The answer is yes. You can transform your hobby into a reliable source of income in just a few simple steps.
They say:
“Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life.”
Imagine waking up feeling excited about what the day has in store for you.
And if you are up for it, you can even turn your hobby into a real business.
After all, who doesn’t want to make a living from something they’re passionate about?
Let’s dive right in.
Table of contents
What are the best hobbies that make money?
Not all hobbies are created equal when it comes to making money. There are hundreds of hobbies out there, but only some can be monetized and are proven to work.
Let’s explore the most profitable hobbies that make money and have the potential to become your full-time income, with real examples of people who turned their hobbies into cash.
1. Drawing
Woman’s hand drawing with a pencil on a piece of paper to make money with her hobby
Do you love losing yourself on a canvas with brushes and colors? Or spend endless hours drawing on your Ipad Pro creating beautiful images with Procreate?
The myth of the starving artist is a thing of the past.
There are plenty of ways to make money with your creative talents in graphic design or illustrations.
And you don’t necessarily need to sell your original work of art to do that.
Selling prints
You can sell prints of your drawings on Etsy. And your prints can go on different items: from canvases to greeting cards, to notebooks or t-shirts. This will enable you to sell the same drawing more than once. Even a hundred or thousand times!
Lisa Scott was selling more originals on her Etsy shop that she could handle. That’s when she decided to offer prints, which allowed her to expand her business to a different level.
Illustrator
An alternative way to make money on the side is to work as an illustrator. You can simply work as a freelancer on a contract basis. Creating a portfolio on Instagram is a great place to start. You can upload examples of your work, and potential clients in love with your style can hire you for specific projects: from creating avatars to drawing custom portraits.
Sara Faber quit her job to become a full-time Illustrator. But she didn’t do it without planning. She worked hard for 2 years in her spare time to build a strong following on Instagram first.
Sandra Dieckmann turned her passion for illustration into a thriving business by leveraging social media and connections.
Teaching
Teaching art is another option. You can either teach online to kids on websites like Outschool. Or create your own online course.
You can use platforms such as Skillshare or Udemy, or you can build an audience by blogging, creating YouTube videos, or sharing art tips on social media. You can then create an online course and sell it to your audience. This is a great way to make money off your art passively!
How to turn your hobby into money:
Selling prints, t-shirts, canvas on Etsy, or on your own online store, freelance as an illustrator, teach kids how to draw, create an online course.
Learn more:
15 Ways To Sell Art Online
How To Sell on Etsy And Make Money
2. Writing
Woman writing on a notebook
Writing is, by far, my favorite hobby to make money! You are, after all, reading something I wrote.
If you enjoy writing, you can turn it into a profitable side hustle or even a full-time business.
Freelance writing
The easiest way to start is to work as a freelance writer. All you need to do is to write articles for other people or publications. You can look for work on websites like Fiverr and Upwork. Or you can reach out directly to blog owners.
Just remember that by figuring out what topics you like to write about, you’ll be able to niche down more and target the highest-paying gigs.
For more information on how to start, check out my guide on becoming a freelance writer.
Blogging for money
If you don’t want to sell your writing but are passionate enough to work on your project, you can start a blog. I turned my little hobby, Gathering Dreams, into a six-figure business in less than 2 years.
And I had no experience in online writing or marketing – just a big passion for sharing my journey to create the lifestyle of my dreams.
There are several ways to make money blogging:
Display ads
Affiliate marketing
Brand sponsorships
Selling products or services
If you don’t want to go through the hustle of setting up your own blog, you can check out Medium.
Medium is an online publishing platform where anyone can publish their writings. You can sign up for their partnership program and make money that way!
Ebooks
If your dream is to become a book author, you can publish your own ebook and make money in the process.
The best way to do that is through Amazon Direct Publishing. Once you’ve written your ebook, turned into a PDF, and designed a cover, you can sign up for an Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing account and self-publish your ebook for free.
If you want to write fiction ebooks, you need to build an audience online before publishing your first novel. You can do this by starting a blog or a YouTube channel on fiction writing and become a part of booktube, a community of book vloggers.
A lot of them have turned into published authors! One of them is Sasha Alsberg, the author of “Zenith,” a book she published as a collaboration with Lindsay Cummings.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Become a freelance writer, start a blog, write an ebook.
Learn more:
How To Become A Freelance Writer
How To Start A Blog And Make Money
How To Make Money Writing On Medium
3. Music
girl creating music on a laptop
If you think that making money from music is for the likes of Ariana Grande or Justin Bieber, think again! Getting into the music industry can be way easier than it seems.
With the rise of YouTubers, many people are searching for good background music for their videos. This means they are looking for royalty-free music.
If you enjoy creating music, you can record your songs and list them on sites such as Airbit, BeatStars, or SoundCloud. People can purchase your music, and every time they do, you’ll make money!
Spotify and Apple Music are way harder to get into, but hey, maybe one day you’ll get there?
And if you want to start with something easy, you can think about creating simple sound effects and sell them on AudioJungle.
And let’s not forget that if you play an instrument, you can teach others. You can either offer private classes, or you can teach online through platforms like this one.
Or create an online course.
Jacques Hopkins, an engineer turned piano teacher, turned his hobby into a business and has made over $1.7 million in sales over the years.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Sell royalty-free music or sound effects, teach an instrument, create a course.
Learn more:
How to Sell Music: 6 Ways to Make Money as a Musician
4. Gardening
Woman repotting succulents
Millennials spend more money on plants (almost $13 billion in a single year) than buying homes. And the trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
If you love digging your fingers deep into mud and watching your plants and flowers bloom, keep reading.
You can grow your own succulents and sell them online on:
Etsy
Amazon Handmade
Facebook groups
Or you can create your own online store and sell them directly to customers.
Leaf & Clay did just that. They offer a succulent subscription box to lure their clients into becoming recurring customers.
How about selling edible produce?
You could start your own mushroom farm or grow microgreens and sell them to local restaurants or directly to home-based customers.
You can also sell gardening products on a niche site dedicated to all things plants.
Or you can offer weeding or trimming services to other people who don’t have time to take proper care of their gardens. You can either set up your own small business, or you can join apps such as TaskRabbit.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Sell succulents, start a mushroom farm, grow microgreens, start a gardening website, offer gardening services.
More inspiration:
How To Make Money Selling Succulents
How to Start A Microgreens Business
The Complete Guide To Starting A Mushroom Farm
5. Cooking
woman rolling dough to make bread, using baking as a hobby to make money
Calling all bakers and cooks out there.
Cooking is another one of my favorite hobbies that make money.
There are plenty of ways to earn some cash from your passion for playing with bread dough.
Meal delivery
We need to eat every day.
Some people have restless schedules, and cooking healthy meals at home can be a challenge.
With fast-foods on every single corner, it’s not easy to find convenient and reasonably priced quality food.
How about helping them out by delivering delicious and healthy meals easy to pop in the microwave?
Spencer did just that and turned Eat Well Nashville into a 7-Figure business.
Just start locally, offering your service to friends and family, and build up from there.
Just make sure to check with your state health department what certifications you need before you start cooking from your family kitchen. You can rent kitchen space by the hour from different places like universities.
Food blog
This might sound a bit obvious, especially coming from me, but how about a food blog? All you need is a laptop and a camera or smartphone to get you started. And no, it’s not too late to start a blog.
You see, there are plenty of people out there looking for recipe ideas daily. And with people staying inside more than ever before, home cooking is incredibly popular right now.
My friend Katia started her blog, The Clever Meal in 2018, and turned it into a business in less than two years!
And if you are not camera-shy, you can also think about starting a YouTube channel. The gist is the same! You create mouthwatering recipes, film them, and upload them on YouTube.
Online food business
The options are endless. When I was a kid, my grandma used to dry tomatoes under the sun in Sicily, and she then sold them to neighbors. Things have moved on a lot since then, but the idea is the same.
You can create your own pickles, cookies, homemade jams, and sell them locally or on your own online shop.
Know how to make homemade pasta? Or drooling tacos from scratch? You can always teach your expertise in online classes and experiences on platforms like Airbnb.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Start a meal delivery service, start a food blog, open an online food business.
Learn more:
How To Start An Online Food Business
6. DIY
Woman working on wood pieces: DIY is one of the many hobbies that make money
As an avid DIYer, all you need is dusting off your skills.
Airtasker and TaskRabbit are two apps that let you use your ingenious talent to make money.
People list a task they need some help with on the apps. You simply apply to do the job. And you get paid.
Tasks can go from helping to mount a TV on the wall, to assemble Ikea furniture.
If you know your way around a drill, this is an excellent way to make some extra cash in your spare time.
Or how about selling your creations? If you love making or renovating old furniture, you can turn that into a profit.
And if you want to bring your passion for renovation to the next level, you can think about flipping houses. This requires quite a bit of cash invested upfront, but if you do it right, it has the potential to make you a lot of money.
And it’s exactly what Dan and I did on our journey to financial freedom. We bought an old apartment for a fairly low price, renovate it, and then sold it after only six months for a good profit. Not bad for a few months of hard work in the evenings and weekends.
And if you’re looking for a more passive way to monetize your DIY hobby, why don’t you share your tips on YouTube? Starting a YouTube channel can be a profitable side hustle that can lead to a full-time income over time!
How to turn your hobby into money:
Become a tasker, renovate old furniture, flip houses, start a YouTube channel to share your tips.
7. Teaching
Woman sitting on bench working on her laptop, teaching online as a hobby to make money
Do you have a passion for education but don’t want to teach in schools?
In these days and age, you don’t need to be stuck in a classroom. There are different, creative ways to teach. And most of them are based online.
This means you can kickstart your new making-money hobby from the security of your own home.
There are a lot of skills people want to learn, and they are willing to pay for.
The e-learning industry is expected to be worth $331 billion by 2025.
So, if teaching anything, even beyond what we’ve already talked about, interests you, here’s what you can do:
First of all, decide who you want to teach. Then you’ll obviously need to decide what you want to teach.
If you want to teach children and kids, try Outschool. On this online platform, you can teach anything to kids. And I really mean anything. From cooking to coding.
Jade now earns over $10,000 a month teaching online. Her biggest tip is to be consistent and teach something you are passionate about.
If you want to teach adults, you can create your own course on platforms like Udemy or Teachable.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Teach to kids online on Outschool, create an online course on Udemy or Teachable.
8. Photography
Woman taking a picture, using photography as a hobby to make money
Do you often find yourself roaming outside and capturing the world from different angles? Or do you like taking photos of your family and friends?
It might surprise you that there are photographers who make hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars a year thanks to their hobby!
One of the most common ways to make money is to start as a freelancer by taking pictures of other people. This could be weddings, local gigs, and events, or model shooting. You can even offer your service to tourists on websites like Flytographer or Perfocal to help them take professional snaps to remember their vacation.
Freelancing can be a very lucrative hobby to make money on the side, but it requires you to put in several hours.
Selling stock photography is much more scalable and can be a source of passive income. Digital creators are always looking for good stock images. You can make a few bucks on the side by joining sites such as Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Getty Images.
Or you can sell an online course to teach your skills. Clickin Mums has built an incredible community of mums who want to learn how to shoot stunning pictures of their children.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Freelance, sell stock photos, teach others how to take photographs.
Learn more:
How To Sell Photos Online
9. Making crafts
Woman’s hands showing wool yarn needed for knitting
If you love making crafts, how about turning your passion for handmade into an empire?
Selling your creations
You can sell almost anything. From jewelry to clothes, to bath bombs or candles.
Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box! Alicia started her business Three Bird Nest on the side to pay for her daughter’s dance lessons. She sold socks, scarves, and leg warmers on Etsy, and in a few months, she made over $128,000 in sales.
Here you can check out what you can make and sell for inspiration.
But how can you begin your journey?
Start posting your crafts on Instagram and Facebook to build an audience. You’ll also need a platform to sell on.
Open an Etsy store: although they charge you $0.20 for each item you list, you can dip into the millions of people who visit the website every day. Plus, you’ll have low start-up costs, and you won’t need much technical know-how.
You can switch to your own website once you know there is a market for your handmade crafts.
And if you think that you’ll never be able to turn your hobby that far, remember that everyone started the same way as you: hobbyists!
Craft blog
If you can take good photos or love taking videos, you can create how-to tutorials and post them online.
Jennifer Maker turned her passion for crafts into a blog, YouTube channel, and craft courses. Within a year, she was making 6-figures. And today, 3 years later, she runs a seven-figure business.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Sell handmade items on Etsy or your own website, make how-to videos or blog posts.
Learn more:
20 Things To Make And Sell for Money
How To Sell on Etsy And Make Money
10. Calligraphy
Woman practicing calligraphy
If you love experimenting with lettering and handwriting, and you never thought about making money with it, think again!
When it comes to calligraphy, the possibilities are endless.
Brides, for example, are after handwritten wedding invites. Or you can sell handmade cards. Or create personalized gifts.
Considering becoming a calligrapher? Shinah from Crooked Calligraphy left her career to pursue her passion. She now makes over $200k in revenues a year, and she earns hourly almost 30% more than what she was making working as a lawyer.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Sell hand-made wedding invites, greeting cards, personalized gifts.
Learn more:
How To Extra Income Selling Calligraphy
11. Home decor
Bedroom that shows off home decor skills
Yes, this is another hobby that can make you money.
If you love home decor and want to share your best tips with others, you can start a home decor blog. My friend Vivien turned her passion for affordable decor into her full-time job. Her blog, Posh Pennies, and her YouTube channel are followed by thousands of people every month.
Or you can sell home decor objects, like Jacky and Albert. They started their store on Shopify as a side project. It was merely an experiment, and thanks to stunning images and their eye for spotting trends, they generated over $700,000 in revenue.
How about helping people styling their homes before they put them on the market? Staging homes can increase home values by tens of thousands of dollars. To become a stager in your spare time, all you need is a talent for decorating and creating a cozy yet neutral decor appealing to buyers.
Home stagers can earn anywhere from $500 to $5,000 for a project depending on the home’s size, the number of rooms, and the requirements.
And with Marie Condo leading the way, organizing homes has become mainstream. You can turn your passion for home organizing into a sellable service. As a professional organizer, you’ll earn money training clients to organize their living space better.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Start a home decor blog, start an online store, start a home staging business, become a professional organizer.
Learn more:
How To Start A Blog And Make Money
Starting A Home Staging Business
12. Gaming
Woman playing a virtual reality game
Is playing video games your favorite activity to unwind? You can turn it into a little profitable hobby.
Play games on your phone
Easy! Wait. What? You can get paid to play on your phone?
Mistplay is home to hundreds of different games. And it will pay you to play.
Developers need your feedback to improve the games before launching them on the market. You need to download the app, play for 2 to 5 minutes, and start earning units. You can share your feedback on the game with developers to earn extra units.
Once you reach enough units, you can redeem them for gift cards, including Visa gift cards, Amazon gift cards, Google Play, iTunes, PlayStation gift cards, and more.
You can join here and it’s free!
Stream games
You can live stream your gaming online on platforms such as Twitch.
There are so many people who enjoy watching others play that you can get paid to do that. The platform is so popular that Amazon bought it for almost $1 billion.
You can monetize your gaming by placing ads on your streams. Once you grow a following, you can ask for subscriptions or donations.
DisguisedToast makes roughly $20,000 a month, excluding sponsorship deals.
On average, you can expect to make between $3,000 to $5,000 each month, playing 40 hours a week.
Make a video game
How about creating your own video games?
If you have some coding skills and an eye for graphics, this could be a fun project to start. You could also start a vlog on YouTube to share your progress, like my friend Pontipants.
You can monetize your YouTube channel and create an audience interested in buying your game way before it’s ready to be released.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Become a professional gamer on Twitch or YouTube, create your own game, play games on your phone.
Learn more:
How To Become A Professional Gamer
13. Camping
Couple camping as a hobby on a beach
If you love taking the weekend off driving to the countryside and forgetting about your regular life, you might be able to profit from it.
Many people enjoy camping but don’t have a van or RV of their own, so they prefer to rent it. If you use your RV sporadically, why not make some money with it? You can list it on RV Share, where you could earn up to $22,000 a year.
If you don’t have an RV or van, you can still make some money off camping.
How?
2020 has seen an incredible rise in RV sales, as they provide a safe way to travel locally.
You can earn money by renting space in front of your house to van lovers. You see, camping is a great hobby, but finding an overnight parking spot can be challenging, especially in cities. So, if you have a big house with some space in front of it and don’t mind people camping there, you can list your space on Vanly.
Or you could buy a piece of land in the countryside and list it on Airbnb as a campsite for a 180% return in a year.
Yes, you’ve heard that right.
You can find a plot for as little as $10k and make around $1,500 by renting it to hipsters with their glampervan. Don’t believe me? Kate did just that for a hefty profit.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Rent out your RV when you are not using it, rent a parking space to RVers, rent a plot of land as a camping site.
Learn more:
Buy Land for $10k, Make $1,500 A Month on It?
14. Flying drones
Drone flying over a city
If you own a drone and know how to use it, keep reading.
Before you get too excited, you need to know that if you want to fly your drone for business purposes in most countries, you’ll need a license.
But once you get one, you could be making up to six-figure a year!
Aerial photos and video footage
There’s something special about drone photography and videography. You can capture things from a different perspective.
You can offer your service to real estate agents. Aerial photography is perfect for showing off larger properties and land.
And this doesn’t apply to landscape photography only. Event hosts or weddings also want to capture their most important moments in a unique way.
Or you can simply upload your pictures and videos on websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Getty Images. Every time someone downloads one, you get royalties.
Aerial surveying
But photography is not the only way you can monetize your drone hobby. Drones easily fly over locations that are difficult to reach and, therefore, document. You can offer aerial surveying services, including topography, digital mapping, or inspection jobs.
Private investigation
And if you have a bit of Sherlock Holmes in you, some companies hire drone drivers for air surveillance in large areas that are hard to cover or dangerous to access. Pilotless vehicles like drones make the job safer and easier.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Sell drone photographs and videos to real estate agents or weddings, surveys areas for money, offer surveillance.
Learn more:
How To Make Money With A Drone
15. 3D Printing
Couple 3D printing a vase
3D printing is next on our list of hobbies that make money.
And no, I’m not talking about 3D printing money. Don’t do that!
Making money with 3D printing is still relatively new, and not many people do it. And it doesn’t necessarily require you to own a 3D printer.
If you know how to create designs for a 3D printer, you could sell them to people that have one. Shapeways is pretty much Etsy for 3D printing. You can open your own shop and sell designs and 3D models. And because everything is printed on-demand, there are no upfront costs or investments you need to make.
Nikko sells digital files for masks and armors inspired by comics characters and earns over $2,000 on the side.
Or you could offer local engineering companies to 3D print their prototypes for them.
And because 3D printers are not something many people own yet, you can rent it out to other people. You can list your printer on websites like 3D Hubs or MakeXYZ, and local customers will get in touch with you to get their products printed.
Plus, you can design your own products and sell them on eBay or Etsy. You can create pretty much anything: game pieces, jewelry, action figures, replacement parts. Essentially, turning your 3D printer into a money-making machine.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Sell designs and digital files, create prototypes, rent your 3D printer, sell 3D printed products.
16. Working out
Woman working out an using it as a hobby to make money by making videos
These days it’s easy to take your passion for fitness up a notch. With gyms closed for a long time, people have rediscovered working out at home.
YouTube channels that share home-based workouts have seen unprecedented growth. How about creating your own workouts and upload them online?
Adriene Mishler is the woman behind Yoga with Adriene. She started to share her passion for yoga from her own home and now has over 7 million subscribers on YouTube alone.
Or you can post your workouts on Instagram and build an audience there. You can then create and sell your online courses, workout plans, or fitness products as a personal trainer.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Start a YouTube channel, create an audience on social media, and sell online courses and workout plans.
17. Driving
woman driving a car
If you’re a car lover, you might be interested to know that driving can be one of the hobbies to make money with.
If you have a car and a smartphone, and some spare time, one of the easiest ways to start making money is registering as a driver on apps like Uber or Lyft.
And if you don’t like the idea of driving people around, you can be delivering goods instead! There are apps such as Postmates or Instacart that pay you for delivering groceries or restaurant takeaways.
Know everything about a specific type of car? If you do, you can start reselling car parts on eBay for a profit. Three parts or accessories are sold every second on eBay motors. This means that if you know the market, you can take a share in the profit.
Or, if you don’t mind having some stickers placed on your car, you can get paid to advertise companies. With Wrapify you can get paid up to $452 for having your car wrapped with an ad. Or if you want something more discreet and just advertise in your back window, Stickr is the perfect option for you. You can sign up in 30 seconds and start to make money.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Drive people around, drive food or groceries around, sell car parts, advertise on your car.
18. Pet cuddling
Want to turn your hobby of cuddling pets into a business?
One of the most popular ways pet-lovers earn money is by pet-sitting. You can pet-sit cats, dogs, and almost any other kind of pet you like.
You can get paid to host a furry friend at your home overnight. Or stay at the owner’s home.
If dogs are your thing, you can become a dog walker.
Rover is the best place to get started. You can set your own prices on the app, offer different services, and fit dog walking around your own schedule.
And you can also turn this hobby into a full-time business. Kristin made over $1 million with dog walking, working just three days a week.
Or, if you are a bit of an expert, you could start a blog to share your tips and knowledge on your favorite pets. Or open an online store to sell pet products.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Pet-sitting, dog walking, start an animal blog, sell animal products online.
19. Reading
Woman reading on a windowsill
Who doesn’t love snuggling up in bed with a good book? I do!
Wouldn’t it be nice to make some cash from reading? I mean, no one will pay you for reading novels on your couch.
Or will they?
Kirkus Media and Online Book Club hire readers to review books online.
Online Book Club will require you to complete one review for free to see if you are the right fit. Once you join, you can expect to make up to $60 per book. Oh, and it sends you books free of charge!
And if you can always find mistakes in everything you read, how about making some extra money as a proofreader?
Proofreaders check the final edited version of books, articles, web copy and make sure the writing is free of errors. You don’t need any special qualifications to become a proofreader.
You can start by looking for low-paying gigs on Fiverr and Upwork. And once you have some experience, you can find higher-paying proofreading jobs.
Caitlin from Proofread Anywhere made $43k a year working part-time once she gained some experience.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Review books, make money on the side as a proofreader.
Learn more:
The Best Online Proofreading Jobs
20. Walking
Man walking on a bridge
Walking may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of hobbies that make money.
But there are plenty of apps that pay you to walk. Some apps pay you in cash. Others let you collect points that can be redeemed for goodies or discounts.
And if you love wandering around your town or city, admiring the sights and its architecture, you could become a local tour guide.
If you live in a popular tourist destination, you can make some extra money by registering with Viator or AirBnB. You can plan a tour or a program and list it on either of those sites. Then set your own price. You will need to pay a small commission to the app, but you’ll be able to reach millions of potential customers and grow much faster than by setting up your own business from the get-go.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Use apps to get paid to walk, become a local guide.
Learn more:
How To Get Paid To Walk
21. Shopping
Woman shopping for food as a mystery shopper to make money as a hobby
Any shopaholics here? Interested in becoming a mystery shopper?
You’ll get paid to go into stores in disguise. And no, you don’t need to wear a wig and fake mustache to do it! You simply need to report on the cleanliness of the store as well as the customer service.
And you can do the same in restaurants too, by grabbing a free meal in the process. Mystery shopping or mystery dining is super flexible, and you can do it any time.
Have a look at iShopFor or Bestmark to find the best opportunities.
You can also shop for groceries for others using apps like Instacart. And get paid to deliver them. All you need to do is to download the app, create a profile, and you’re ready to go!
Or you can buy items for cheap at flea markets and resell them for money. Rob and Melissa do just that and they made $79k last year by flipping items on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. And they’ll teach you how to turn $1 in $100 in just one week in their $1 Flip Club.
How to turn your hobby into money:
Become a mystery shopper, get paid to shop for others.
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How to turn a hobby into a money-making business
If you’re still with me, you might be wondering if you can turn your hobby into a money-making business.
A lot of people have done that, so why couldn’t you?
Fun fact: Yankee Candles started as a hobby. Michael J. Kittredge crafted a candle for his mom’s Christmas gift when he was only 16 years old. He used canning wax, red crayons, kitchen string, and a milk carton as a mold. He then started designing other candles in his family’s kitchen. With his father’s help, he started selling them locally. And one small shop in Massachuset turned into over 35,000 authorized retailers worldwide.
But before you run off and start working on your idea, there are a few steps you need to take.
1. Validate your business idea
Business experts out there will tell you to do market research. But what you really need to think about is how you are going to help your potential customers. Find out what they are looking for, what other businesses they use, how you can offer a more desirable product or a more reliable service than the competition. This will help you to better serve your customers.
2. Create a brand
Once you validate your business idea, turn it into a brand. Your name and logo are just a small part of this. People buy from who they trust. You need to make a clear statement about who you are, what you do, and why you do it. Do you want to sell ethically sourced products like Chloe? Or write website copy for travel agents? Understand what people that need your help struggle with, their goals, and questions. Your message needs to be clear to anyone landing on your website or social media profile.
3. Make a plan
You don’t need a full-on 40-page business plan. That won’t help you. But you still need to figure out how you are going to make money, your goals, and basic costs. And before you invest any money, think about ways to get to the same point without being out of pocket. Want to sell t-shirts? Don’t invest $5,000 to stock before you know if people would even like your design. Look at print-on-demand services like Printify. Want to teach people online? Use your smartphone to record lessons before investing in a $1k camera.
4. Decide what type of business you want to run
Is it going to be an online business? Can you run it from home? Or do you need a storefront? You also need to decide what type of business structure you want to set up. You can start as a sole proprietor or set up an LLC to protect your personal assets.
5. Build an online presence and a marketing strategy
Before you start opening social accounts everywhere, you need to know your customers. Do they hang around on Facebook? Are they on Twitter? Make marketing decisions with your customer in mind. And for everything you do, remember that connecting with your audience emotionally is what is going to create real fans.
Pros and cons of turning your hobby into a business
Things you should consider before transforming your hobby into your career:
Pros
You get to work on something you love every day
You’ll get to spend almost every day doing something you enjoy. If this in itself doesn’t sound exciting, then I don’t know what does!
Your work will be more fun
If you turn your hobby into a career or business, you won’t feel like you’re working. You won’t have to be dragging yourself out of bed every morning.
Freedom
You’ll be your own boss, and you’ll start making money doing something you’re passionate about.
Cons
Once your hobby becomes a job, it might stop being fun
The pressure of having to make money from your hobby can transform it into a chore.
There might not be a big market for your hobby
Depending on what your hobby is, there might not be a big market for it. Do make sure to validate your idea beforehand!
How can I make money from my hobbies?
No matter what your hobbies are, there are several ways to turn them into money:
Teach your hobby to others
Start a blog to share tips
Start an online store that sells items you need for your hobby
Ready to make money from your hobbies?
You can absolutely make money doing something you love. There are plenty of profitable hobbies and ways to turn your hobby into a money-making business.
What’s your hobby?
If you plan to make money with it but don’t know where to start, let me know in the comments, and I will give you some tips to help turn your hobbies into a business.
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