Traditionally, hobbies were reserved for leisure time. Perhaps you had a full time job during the week, and at weekends you could indulge in your favourite past times. Hobbies such as writing, reading, playing music, cooking, playing poker and online casino or DIY could be enjoyed in your free time.
Times have changed! Thanks to online communities it is much easier to learn a new skill, share tips on hobbies, share the results of your hobbies and discuss with other like minded individuals. More and more people are finding ways to monetise their skills. They are successfully turning a hobby into a business, and you can too!
Writing for money
There are many online resources that will let you showcase your work, for example medium.com. Plus you can actually name a price for your writing services on community sites such as Fiverr and Upwork. Here you can connect with publishers looking for blog writers. You can also carve a niche for yourself by promoting yourself as an expert writer in a particular field. For example, you could be a beauty product review expert, or a travel writer. It could be anything!
Think outside the box too. Online businesses need content to keep their sites fresh and relevant. If you play online casino or poker you could get a job becoming a games reviewer and help share information about key features and the best places to play. There are plenty of websites reviewing online games such as Casinos Jungle, Ask Gamblers and Casino.org. You could contact companies directly or place an advert on freelance writing sites promoting yourself as a gambling content writer.
The same could be applied to any online business – think about an online insurance website. Odds are they will have a news and reviews section talking about the merits of comprehensive insurance. Real user experiences are always useful to help potential customers understand the benefits or what to look for in the type of cover they choose. Basically, all this high quality content has to come from somewhere, why not from you?
Blogging
Another way is to start your own blog. If you love cooking you could start a recipe blog. Giving tips and photographing or video recording your recipes will help attract users. Once you have enough traffic to your sites you can make money by advertising (having banners or adsense on your website) or by becoming an affiliate. For example: you partner with a manufacturer of a blender. On your site you promote using this blender for your recipe and you include a link that site visitors can click on to buy their own blender. As an affiliate you will make a percentage of sales or a fixed amount per sale of the blender.
You must be aware that building up a site and a significant amount of traffic takes a lot of time, and a lot of work! There are so many other sites already out there, it’s best to try to find your niche. For example, there will be hundreds of thousands of recipe sites, but a lot less lunch box recipes for kids sites, and even less “lunch box recipes for fussy kids” blogs. So whilst it may be nearly impossible to become the number 1 recipe website, you could well become THE blogger for picky eaters lunch box recipe ideas.
Sell your arts and crafts!
Sites like Etsy are a brilliant way to sell your beautiful little creations. From clothes design, artwork, jewelry, refurbished furniture and sculpture there are so many artisans work on display there is a place for everybody! One major advantage of using a platform like Etsy is you don’t have the overheads you would have in a physical shop. You will still have to work hard to be noticed as there is a lot of competition. One idea is to send some samples of your work to influencers. These are people who have built up a large group of followers on social media platforms and can showcase your work or recommending your product.
Good luck with whatever you decide to do. It will not be easy, but you really can make money doing something that you love and turn that hobby into a business!