Wouldn’t it be great if we could earn a living doing the thing we love doing the most?
Well this dream could be a reality if you take action and lots of people do successfully turn their favourite hobby into a career, whether it be by starting their own business, or making the decision to go professional.
Of course, it is important that you put proper consideration into your decision, as not all hobbies make for a lucrative business and following a new career path is a big decision to make. Some may also say that hobbies and work are best kept separate, as they are an activity that we get to participate in in our free time as an escape from work, rather than BEING the work. However, it’s also been said that if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life, so perhaps it’s a gamble worth making!
If you’re thinking of turning your hobby into a career, here’s how you could go about it:
1) Teach others:
If you don’t see yourself taking up your hobby in a professional sense, that doesn’t meant that you can’t still turn it into a career. Whether you’re a skilled musician or linguist, or you’re pretty nifty in the kitchen, you can turn your skill into a job by passing on your knowledge to others. Depending on the skill and demand for it, you could set yourself up as a private teacher, or offer your service at a local school or college. Teaching can be really rewarding, even more so when you are teaching something that you love.
2) Sell your creations:
If your hobby is making some sort of crafts, artwork or even baking, why not sell your creations? Sites such as Etsy are great for independent traders who want to sell their crafts, or you could alternatively strike a partnership with a local crafts shop, or even open your own! Baking businesses also have potential to be really successful, as not everyone has the time to whip up a cake from scratch and are more than happy to pay someone skilled to do it for them.
This all being said, you don’t necessarily need to create your products yourself, if you are passionate about something, becoming a supplier could be just as good a way to incorporate your hobby into your career.
3) Provide a service:
Think about how you can use your hobby to assist others. If you’re passionate about health and fitness, why not offer start up a business as a personal trainer or health coach? If you adore animals, you could offer dog walking service or pet sitting. The possibilities are endless!
4) Write/speak about your passion:
If you’re passionate about something, then shout about it! Whether it be through the written word, or talking about it at events; believe it or not, you can actually get paid for merely sharing your passion and knowledge with others . The rise of blogging has made it easier than ever for people to become experts in their field and there are lots of opportunities for industry professionals to speak at events, so be proactive and put yourself out there! Once you have built a bit of status for yourself within the sector, it could well be turned into a career.
5) Go professional:
Though not everyone it lucky enough to get their big break, nothing should hold you back from achieving your dream if you feel passionately enough about it! If you dream of becoming a professional musician, start out doing open mic nights and progress from there. If you’re an athlete with the Olympics in your sight, train until you’re at the best possible standard! Though you’ll probably need to put a lot of the leg work in before you can make a career from it, it’ll be worth it in the end.
