Turning a Hobby into a Business

Planning & Saving
on July 5, 2012

The typical American dream might look like this—a big house in the suburbs, nice cars and owning your own business. But as the economy continues to be stagnant, how are people still able to realize their dream? More specifically, how are people starting their own business when the credit market is not keen on giving money out to small start-ups?

Stories are always popping up in the news about how a successful entrepreneur started their business from a kitchen table by just doing what they loved. Most people watching or reading those stories will tell themselves that they could have done that and may think what are they waiting for. I am sure many of those same people also think they don’t have a single idea to start a business with. However, an idea is not a problem. At least not when you are starting out.A lot of successful businesspeople started their business by doing something they love, or an every day hobby. So how can you turn your hobby into a profitable business to help fund your American dream? Start by looking at these examples to gain some inspiration from other popular hobby businesses.Arts & Crafts

This hobby business is probably one of the oldest side businesses, as it goes back to the days of people in the markets, selling trinkets and crafts for food. Today, the business isn’t as cutthroat, and making a sale isn’t a matter of life and death. But there is not question about the popularity of this industry, as craft shows can be found all across the country every weekend.

Besides selling your products as a vendor at a craft show or a flea market, you can set up your own store online and sell your products there as well. There are tons of sites made to sell artsy items, such as Etsy.com, and you can always sell your item on eBay.com or Amazon.com if you are looking for more volume. Whatever you choose, you would be joining an old age industry that has proven to be profitable no matter what the economy is like.

Clothing

The amount of stay-at-home moms that make their own clothing has continued to grow in this current economy. Many women love doing this as a hobby because they get to make cute clothing for their children that is unique. They make everything from dresses to hair accessories to cloth diapers, which are also making a huge comeback thanks to advances in technology.

Anyways, many of these mothers start out just making a few articles of clothing for their children and then show off what they made to their friends. If it is cute and looks professional, most of the friends will love it and say they want something made custom for them. The woman then makes the clothes for friends, who start to show it off as well and boom, they have their own home-based business that they love to do! Women typically sell these items on places like Etsy.com or CafeMom.com, which has specific stores just for moms who are members of the site.

Freelance Writing

People love to share their life experience with others, either professionally or personally, and with the rise in blogging sites, more and more people have started to make a good amount of money blogging and freelance writing. And with companies that are online needing more and more content produced for their web sites, there is really no shortage of work for people who like to write.

People can find freelance jobs by simply doing a Google search about freelance job sites. On those sites, a variety of jobs will be available for a person to do, depending on their skill set. A person who likes to write can usually find work in an area they like and are knowledgeable in. Finding jobs in the area that you are comfortable with makes writing much easier and fun, which helps in the long term to not burn out from constantly writing.

Also, magazines are always looking for quality articles and short stories. Consider contacting or checking out your favorite magazine’s web site for details about how to contribute as a freelancer. Often times, magazines pay a much higher premium then the freelance sites online.

Fitness

There are millions of Americans who love to workout, but there are even more who need help to lose unwanted weight. For people who enjoy working out and seeing results, consider becoming a personal trainer in your area.

Personal trainers can either work as an independent contractor of a gym or they can simply work out of their house. Many times, a trainer will accompany a person to a gym of their choice and they will work out together for an amount of time. During that time, the trainer teaches the customer how to properly exercise and what to do when they are not around. Often, a trainer will consult with the person away from the gym on the proper way to eat in order to lose weight and still be healthy.

These are just a few examples of how money can be made from a personal hobby. While this list may not apply to everyone, hopefully it will give some inspiration to look at your own personal favorite hobbies and see how you can turn them into a business. Almost any hobby can turn into a business, whether you are selling something, offering a service or just coaching people how to do the hobby better. If you do decide to make your hobby a business, try and remember to make it fun and exciting, and the excitement should transfer to your business to make it a success!

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