Most successful businesses are born out of passion. This is aptly captured by the late Apple Inc. founder who said that passionate people are the ones who can change the world. Bill Gates, in his own words, was only thirteen when he fell in love with programming.
Most hobbies provide opportunities for business if one is keen enough to notice. They give you a chance to make money and do what you love, all in the same breath. Turning your hobby into a business has its share of benefits. However, there are steps one has to take to turn those hobbies into successful businesses. Below is a list of hobbies turned into successful businesses.
1. Love Animals? Open an Animal Hotel!
While some people don’t care for animals, there is a good number that openly display their affection towards them. In the United States, for example, the 2021-2022 National Pet Owners Survey by the American Pet Products Association showed that 70% of all households have a pet living with them.
Depending on a person’s preferences, there are a variety of animals that could be kept as pets, including cats, birds, spiders, and snakes, not forgetting man’s best friend; dogs. Unfortunately, owning a pet is not without its share of challenges. For example, if a pet owner has an abrupt trip that’s to last a couple of days or weeks and they can’t bring their pet with them, they’ll be left in a tight spot. Well, as an animal lover, this is an ideal opportunity for you to have your hobbies turned into successful businesses. How? You could, for instance, set up dog hotels, which are facilities where an owner drops off their pet dog for a specific period when they’re not in a position to care for them.
2. Collect Coins? Become a Coin Dealer!
Coin collection is one of the most ancient hobbies to have existed across the globe. The reasons one may opt to take up coin collection as a hobby varies from one person to the next. Some collect these coins just to have the bragging rights of owning rare coins, while others are keen to have their hobbies turned into successful businesses. If you choose to go the business way, you can be sure your business will last a lifetime, since new coins are circulating on the markets daily.
Unlike in the past when people in authority, such as the king, were the only ones collecting coins, in recent times, coin collecting has become a hobby that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Becoming an antique coin dealer can, however, not happen overnight and will require one to have extensive knowledge about the coins, in addition to possession of effective business skills.
3. Like to Sew? Become a Tailor!
Sewing as a hobby can reduce stress levels, improve hand and eye coordination, and fight dementia. It can also be monetized. If having your hobbies turned into successful businesses is your goal, sewing should be one of those hobbies you should consider taking up. Of course, mistakes are inevitable, especially in the early stages of developing this hobby. However, with the right attitude and a bit of practice, you will soon be in a position to offer sewing services and get paid for the same. Not only are you able to make money from sewing, but you will also save money you would have otherwise spent on getting your stuff sewed. People need stuff sewn all the time, be it custom clothes, bags, or doll clothes. The point is this: you’ll always be in business.
4. Enjoy Fashion? Open a Bridal Shop!
Fashion and design is a hobby you can use to express your personality, style, or mood. This could be in the form of footwear, accessories, or clothing. A good number of people have taken up fashion as a hobby, some as a pastime, and others from a career point of view.
Becoming a professional designer may be rocky, especially at the beginning when you’re trying to get your footing in this business. Since this is a vast field, you will first need to identify your niche. Say, for example, you choose to focus on designer bridal gowns. Of course, you’ll need to possess the right skills for this and also invest in quality sewing equipment and mannequins.
Bridal gowns are not all made equal. This means you’ll also need to research the various styles and designs that gowns come in. Financing is another aspect to consider when opening a bridal shop. According to Profitable Venture, you’ll need $250,000 to set up a medium-sized bridal shop. This isn’t inclusive of rent, which may vary from one city to the next. Just as with many other businesses, you will need to manage your expectations, since, in the early stages, you may not earn much. However, as the business takes off, according to the career bliss website, you may enjoy an annual income of $70,000 to $92,000.
5. Love Flowers? Become a Florist!
Flowers have been used since ancient times to uplift people’s moods, and they’re loved by millions of people for their beauty. However, there is a group of people whose love for flowers goes deeper than just finding them beautiful. Such people are known as anthophilous. If this describes you, then you could take up flower arranging as a hobby. It’s a hobby that does not require you to have any previous experience and even better, it’s a sure way of having your hobbies turned into successful businesses.
The floral industry has evolved into a multibillion-dollar industry on a global scale. Both hobby and professional florists can import and export flowers with ease across the global market. This offers more variety when creating pieces for their various occasions.
6. Enjoy Gardening? Become a Landscape Designer!
Gardening is yet another hobby that’s not age-specific and is beneficial to both your mind and body. The key to enjoying gardening is taking all the necessary precautions to prioritize your safety. Such precautions include wearing a hat and sunscreen to protect yourself from direct sun rays, wearing sturdy shoes, and taking short breaks between your gardening. By doing this, you’ll get to enjoy benefits such as; a reduction in stress levels, a sense of independence, an improvement in overall mental health, having your organic vegetables, and, lastly, having your gardening hobbies turned into successful businesses
Among the various ways, you could monetize your gardening hobby is by becoming a landscape designer. This will require enrollment in a class to have a better understanding of landscaping. Thereafter, you will get to enjoy a salary of about $96,100, which could vary depending on several factors, according to a survey carried out in the US on 27th October 2022.
7. Like to Code? Become a Web Designer!
Coding, also referred to as computer programming, is a great skill and a lucrative hobby to have. Codes are instructions or commands given to a computer to complete a task. Without us realizing it, we get to interact with coding indirectly from the websites we visit, and applications, among other technologies that we use daily. If you choose to have your coding hobbies turned into successful businesses, various tech careers require you to have coding as a mandatory skill.
An example of a career path that requires coding is that of a website designer. All social media platforms have websites. To differentiate one from another, each of these platforms has contracted different web designers to develop a unique, efficient, and effective website design that will attract more traffic to the site. According to Indeed, a US-based web designer charges an hourly rate of $25.83.
8. Good With Social Media? Become a Social Media Manager!
The social media scene has seen tremendous growth with over 59 percent of the global population being social media users. This is according to Kepios analysis. In the U.S., for example, 7 out of 10 Americans use social media to interact.
Instead of spending so much of your time on social media catching up with friends, why not be more productive and make money on social media? Many businesses have identified social media as a platform to reach both existing and potential customers, and most, if not all, have pages on these platforms.
You could approach one of these businesses or individuals who wish to outsource social media management services. To become an effective social media manager, you’ll have to strategize on how to drive traffic to the platforms. You should also come up with social media campaigns, among other strategies. According to Indeed, the hourly rate for a US-based social media manager is $21.14. This is a very clear indicator that one can have one’s hobbies turned into successful businesses.
9. Love Nature and Trees? Become an Arborist!
An arborist is a tree surgeon. Those who love interacting with nature are spoilt for choice since the world is full of many beautiful aspects of nature for them to explore. It could be a walk down the beach, hiking, camping, or walking through a woody forest. Whatever your interest is, you’ll get the thrill you seek.
While many people take up such activities as hobbies to unwind and relax, others have found ways to have their hobbies turned into successful businesses. If, for example, you love trees, becoming an arborist is one way to make money from your love for trees. You will need to sharpen your skills and knowledge of trees by taking up a course and getting all the necessary licenses to be a fully certified arborist. According to Zippia, an arborist can make up to $20.14 per hour in the US.
10. Love Hair and Beauty? Open Your Own Salon!
Having a bad hair day can give people the wrong impression about you, not to mention that it’s a crime, but it’s better if you can avoid it. Regardless of your type of hair; kinky, silk, wavy or straight, knowing how to make hair can save you a lot of money.
Making hair is a hobby one can perfect through practice and learning a few other relevant skills. When you gain professional skills in hair, you could have your hobbies turned into successful businesses by setting up a space where you offer salon services. This is a potentially lucrative business as there are many people seeking salon services, regardless of their gender or age.
Setting up a salon doesn’t come cheap. Various factors determine how much you’ll need to spend. However, if you’re based in the US, you’ll enjoy $38,104 in annual income according to Zip Recruiter.
In Summary, Here’s What You Need To Do
- Identify your niche: If, for example, you love hair, choose the areas you want to specialize in and let that become what your brand is famous for.
- Polish your skills: You may have a general knowledge of how things are done in the salon, but to become a professional, you’ll need to polish your skills.
- Define what services and products you want to offer: Come up with brochures or flyers indicating the services you provide and the pricing for each of those services.
- Decide if you want to monetize your hobby: Do not be in a rush to turn your hobby into a business, since in some instances doing so may take away the fun of it.
- Develop a business plan: After deciding to turn your hobby into a business, formulate a plan, just as with any other business, to ensure that yours becomes successful.
Monetizing a hobby can provide a level of job satisfaction that you would otherwise not have with a job. You, however, need to be certain of the direction you’re taking by researching to find out how much of your input is required, in terms of money and time, to successfully transform your hobby into a business. Use these examples of hobbies turned into successful businesses as a guide for your journey of finding a satisfying and profitable career.