From Hobby to Hustle: Turning Your Passion into a Career

 

Do you fantasise about getting paid to have fun, about waking up in the morning to the excitement of going to a playdate you initiated yourself? It can happen. It doesn’t have to be a fantasy. Just look at all the bloggers, artists, writers, comedians and others who enjoy their work because they’re playing with ideas they already love.

But the transition from enthusiastic amateur to a professional, doesn’t slide gently into place. It needs intention, some cold-bloodedness, at least a hint of humility, understanding, and an insight into perception. This guide will help you start a side hustle, and stick to it to make it a side business, and ultimately, after you put in the hours and do the proper work, to make it a business. If you stay focused and take things step by step, you can achieve your goals whether your ultimate objective is to make some extra money, a full-time living, or even, hopefully, lasting change in someone’s life.

Step 1: Unearthing the Potential: Finding Your Passion Project

The first step is the most important. You must identify the hobby with career potential. Not all hobbies are adaptable to professions. What do you like to do? What excites you? What do you do for hours and hours, and then suddenly you look up at the clock and – Ohmygod where did the time go? It wasn’t long ago you were baking this cake and moulding that balloon animal. Time-travel. Ten hours elapsed in an eyeblink! Baking cakes. Should I bake cakes as my main source of income? You bet. Writing? Your story? The one you wrote to get to know a character better. Write it. That’s a book.

You might not have a single passion but, instead, a portfolio of activities that you enjoy doing, like being a history buff who also loves restoring furniture – and whose life might involve either historical restoration or educational content about historical furniture. Once you’ve come up with a few prospects, drill down. Research the industry surrounding the hobby. Is there a market for the merchandise you might want to offer? Who are the leaders in the sector?

This pre-launch research isn’t overwhelming or off-putting – it simply prevents any illusions about the scope of the opportunities, existing competition, potential niches, etc. 

Step 2: Building Your Skillset: From Hobbyist to Expert

The best things about finding a career out of your hobby are that you start off with the passion – and now you can refine it. Consider where you are now and what you have to offer, then be honest about the weaknesses you should shore up with an online course, workshop or certificate. Do you need to acquire any particular technical skill to take your hobby from interest to viable service? 

Don’t limit yourself to formal courses – read industry publications, attend conferences, follow the thought leaders in your field. Build your network of fellow professionals – on social channels and in the real world. But remember, there’s no such thing as complete mastery; constant learning keeps your skills in shape, and adapts you to the changing currents of your industry. 

Step 3: From Passion Project to Profit Powerhouse: Building Your Business

Armed with a blazing passion and finely tuned skills, it’s time to construct the scaffolding for your new livelihood. 

Crafting Your Brand:

Develop a powerful brand identity that reflects who you are and what your passion project stands for. For what can your offerings bring to the market that can’t be bought elsewhere? 

Building Your Audience:

Who is your audience? What kinds of people are going to love what you do? Really try to anticipate the needs and desires of your dream customers. This is your business, be unashamedly and unapologetically obsessed with your work, bank on word-of-mouth and referral to grow your client base. Instagram and Pinterest has been a fantastic channel towards this end.

Monetization Strategies:

There are many routes to creating profit from your passion. If you make physical products, you can sell them online through Etsy or other dedicated sites, or through a website of your own. For service businesses, figure out how you can price your work to account for the value you deliver. Consider one-off consultations, workshops, or classes, or even webinars or online courses.

The Legal Way:

You may be required to be set up as a sole proprietor or Limited Liability Company (LLC) depending on where you live and what you are selling. Do the homework to see what local regulations you need to meet and speak to an accountant to make sure you are running your business legally and effectively.

Step 4: The Journey Continues:  Embracing the Hustle

That is, the usually meandering journey from daydreaming enthusiast to Kickstarter millionaire will inevitably involve a lot more stumbling than scaling – dark nights of the soul; doubt and disbelief, too; those incredibly hard months or years in which the very idea of hustling sends you into a cringing, contorted ball of neuroses. 

However, you need to overcome them. Cultivate a tough hide. Some people won’t like your work; don’t take it personally. Instead, use feedback constructively, and work at cultivating your craft and refining your offerings. Also, passion  is great – just don’t let your passions burn you out. Schedule your work hours and respect them. Get some down-time for yourself, and make sure to spend time on things outside of work that feed your soul.

Very importantly, build an echo chamber of cheerleaders who share your vision. Chat up other aspiring lifehackers and entrepreneurs online or at conferences and meetups. Nothing can motivate one more than bouncing ideas off other people who share their experiences and dilemmas.  When turning your hobby into your career, two ingredients are essential: your love for what you do, and the strategic thinking that will take what you love to the market.