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Have you always been passionate about your hobby? Maybe you’ve recently rekindled your love for it. Many people found they had much more time on their hands during the COVID-19 pandemic due to needing to stay at home more often. This has allowed many people to find hobbies that they love to spend time on.
It’s not impossible to turn your hobby into a career but it is a risk. If it’s something you’re thinking about doing, you’ve come to the right place. Take a look at what you need to know if you want to get started.
Why You Want To Do It
It can really help to think about why you want to turn your hobby into a career. Many people make the mistake of thinking that having a career that’s also a hobby won’t be work. No matter what kind of work you do to make money, work is always work.
When your hobby is a hobby alone, you can walk away from it whenever you want to take a break. When your hobby is your work, you’ll have deadlines to meet. If you want to create a career for yourself because you need a job or you want a better work/life balance, moving forward with a hobby career is a great idea.
Turn your hobby into your career with these 6 essential tips! Learn how to monetize your passion, market your skills, and make the transition smoothly. Don't just dream it—do it! #HobbyToCareer #CareerTransition #MonetizeYourPassionClick To TweetTrain Yourself
No matter what hobby you want to turn into a career, there will always be a competitor. You’ll always need to stay ahead of the game if you want your business to be successful. With this in mind, it’s important to train yourself in the industry you’ll be entering and in the basics of business.
This may mean taking a course before you get started or doing a lot of research on how other businesses in your industry operate. The more you know, the less daunting the leap into a new career will be.
Invest In Equipment
Perhaps you’re used to buying supplies for your hobby. When you start a business with your hobby, you may need to invest more money into the equipment that you need. For instance, a budding artist may benefit from affordable standalone drawing tablets which come in handy for practice and prints for purchasing customers.
Whatever your hobby is, it’s important to have the latest technology on your side. Even if you’re someone who crochets for a living, you’ll still need devices to connect you to your customers via social media, websites, and blogs.
Start Off Slow
As tempting as it may be to leave your current job and start doing something you’re passionate about, you shouldn’t run before you can walk. In many cases, new business owners don’t start making enough money from their businesses until the business is older than twelve months.
It’s wise to start a new hobby career as a side hustle before having a complete change of career. It’s a great way to get to know your new business and figure out whether it’s something you’d want to do full time.
Start Networking
The great thing about making a career out of your hobby is that you likely already know plenty of people interested in the same thing as you. If you browse Facebook or Instagram, you’ll find many pages dedicated to all kinds of different hobbies and these are great places to start. It’s the perfect way to do research into your industry and build customer profiles.
The more you know about what your customers want, the easier it will be to sell your talents. It can also help to network with other businesses in the same industry so you can learn from one another and keep up with the competition.
Market, Market, Market
When you’re ready to sell, there’s nothing more important than getting the word out. You need to make your business as visible as possible and stay at the forefront of your customers’ minds. When it comes to marketing, the best tool at your disposal is social media.
Sites like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and even YouTube can catapult your business from the ground into a successful money-making business. Marketing your business can take a lot of time and effort and then you’ll need to reply to comments and messages as well. It can help to outsource marketing to a social media manager who can ensure all messages are replied to while you’re busy with other things.
If you’re ready to take the leap, these tips will help you to test the waters.
Whether you're a seasoned professional in search of a career change or a beginner just entering the working world, you want to make the right choices from the beginning.
