How to Turn a Hobby Into a Side Hustle
Are you looking to make some extra money on the side? Creating a profitable side hustle is easier than ever, thanks to the internet. Whatever your hobbies, there’s a good chance you can share your passion with the world while supplementing your income. Here are the best hobbies to turn into gigs and how to maximize the benefits online.
>> Click here to watch: How to have the right mindset to overcome challenges that hold you back
My favorite tools in my business:
- TubeBuddy: YouTube channel management tool for keyword research, video optimization, analytics, and competitor analysis. It helps me save time and grow my audience by optimizing content and gain insights into my channel’s performance.
- ThriveCart: This is what I use to host my online courses and membership. One-time fee of roughly $495 for a lifetime license.
- Flodesk: My email provider, get 50% off your first year, unlimited email subscribers at no increased price. It comes with email templates, lead, popup, & opt-in forms for collecting email and is very intuitive.
- Honeybook: Platform for Virtual Assistants and Freelancing; templates for contracts, create and send invoices, scheduling, automations, and manage your clients all in one place!
- Create an LLC for $39: Super easy to use service to create an LLC for your online business, walks you through the whole process, step-by-step.
Select the Right Hobby
The biggest step in creating a side hustle is deciding which hobby to monetize (check out my free guide here). While it’s a good idea to have a diverse range of pastimes and interests, choose wisely — not everything has the potential to become profitable.
Think about which of your hobbies has the best potential customer base. You don’t want to pick something so niche you won’t be able to find buyers. However, you also want to avoid oversaturated markets where you’ll get lost in the online crowd. Find a sweet spot that can make you a relatively big fish in a sizable pond.
Compare the cost of your hobby with its potential profit margins and ensure a manageable balance. You also want to make sure your side hustle is something you can remain passionate about. The last thing you want is to experience burnout that causes you to lose your income and hobby.
Popular Hobbies to Turn Into Side Hustles
There are endless possibilities for turning a profit with your passion. However, some interests have more potential than others. Here’s a sampling of the most popular hobbies to hustle on the side, especially online.
Vlogging
Thanks to today’s technology, making videos is relatively easy for anyone with a smartphone. Many apps are becoming more video-centric than ever, with platforms like TikTok, YouTube and Instagram all catering to video content. Using a free video editor, you can easily enhance your videos to make them stand out. With ads and sponsors, you can make a nice bundle of cash on the side.
Plus, vlogging has limitless potential — you can make videos about anything and everything. Do you want to show off your stamp collection or share your love of trains with fellow enthusiasts? Once you establish a loyal following, you can create even more free and paid content to connect with fans and turn a profit.
Check out my two YouTube Channels:
- My side hustle channel is all about sharing behind the scenes of my business, tutorials, and making money online.
- My personal finance channel is all about saving money, paying off debt, and getting better with money.
Freelancing and Blogging
If you love writing, freelancing and blogging are your best options. Write about something you know a lot about so you can use your personal experience.
If you’re a traveler, document your unique experiences on a blog. If you love baking, submit your best recipes to popular food magazines. Whether you start your own site or publish with existing publications, you can make some good money by simply writing about what you love.
These articles How to Start a Blog and How To Make Money Blogging – Monetize Your Blog will walk you through the whole process!
Resources you will need to start your blog:
• Legal Bundle – contains all 3 legal pages you need for your blog: Terms & Conditions, Disclaimer and Privacy Policy
Digital Courses
Digital courses can be a fantastic revenue stream that allows you to share your expertise and knowledge with others while generating passive income. By creating a high-quality course that offers value to your audience, you can build a reputation in your industry and establish yourself as an authority on your topic. Plus, once your course is created, it can continue to generate income for years to come with minimal upkeep.
One of the best things about creating a digital course is that you can use the skills and knowledge you already have to help others. Whether you’re an expert in marketing, web development, or another field, there are likely people out there who are eager to learn from you. By creating a course that shares your expertise and teaches others valuable skills, you can help your students achieve their goals and improve their lives, all while generating income for yourself.
If you’re looking to start selling Digital Courses, I have a FREE Course that walks you through everything from figuring out what type of course to create, your course topic, pricing, and all the tech stuff!
>> Click here to enroll in How To Create & Sell Digital Courses with ThriveCart for FREE!
I recently moved over my courses from Teachable to ThriveCart for all new students. I have been so happy with ThriveCart hosting my courses, I am now working behind the scenes on a free ThriveCart Course! Stay tuned!
>> If you’re wanting to create your own online course, check out this free training here: How to Create Online Courses WITH NO EXPERIENCE! | Guide and Tools To Get Started
I have two digital courses, Dreamer To Profitable and How To Save Money on Groceries.
My signature course is Dreamer To Profitable.
This course will help you build a profitable business so you can finally live the life you deserve to have! Dreamer To Profitable is definitely for you. This is a step-by-step guide to getting the life of your dreams.
Virtual Assistant
Being a virtual assistant is a great way to make money by offering your skills and expertise to clients on a project basis. I manage a local realtor’s social media accounts and create reels for her.
To get started with freelancing, you’ll first want to assess your skills and interests. What are you good at, and what do you enjoy doing? Common freelance skills include writing, graphic design, web development, and marketing. Once you’ve identified your skills, you can start to look for freelance opportunities on job boards like Upwork or Freelancer, or by networking with other professionals in your industry.
Platforms for Virtual Assistants and Freelancing; templates for contracts, create and send invoices, scheduling, automations, and manage your clients all in one place:
To land a gig managing a local realtor’s social media, you’ll want to make sure you have experience in social media marketing and management. This might include creating content calendars, scheduling posts, analyzing metrics, and engaging with followers. You can reach out to local realtors in your area and offer your services, or you can look for opportunities on job boards like Indeed or LinkedIn.
When you land a freelance gig, it’s important to set clear expectations with your client. Make sure you agree on the scope of work, timeline, and compensation before you begin. You’ll also want to establish a clear communication plan so that you can keep your client up to date on your progress and any issues that arise.
As a freelancer, it’s important to manage your time effectively and stay organized. Make sure you’re tracking your time and expenses, and set aside time each week to market your services and find new clients. Over time, you can build a portfolio of work and develop a reputation in your industry, which can lead to more lucrative opportunities and higher rates.
Managing a local realtor’s social media can be a rewarding gig that allows you to use your creativity and marketing skills to help a business grow. By offering high-quality content and engaging with followers, you can help the realtor build their brand and attract new clients. Just be sure to communicate clearly with your client and stay organized to ensure a successful and profitable partnership.
>> Watch this video How to Become a Virtual Assistant WITH NO EXPERIENCE! | Guide and Tools To Get Started
Printables and Digital Downloads
Selling digital downloads and prints is a great way to make money while saving some time. If you’re an artist, for example, you can scan a painting or drawing and sell it as a print or digital download, rather than the old fashioned way of selling the physical piece of art.
This strategy also works for written work. You could write a short ebook on an area of expertise and sell it as a digital download, rather than having it printed. You can write a how-to guide about your favorite hobby, whether it be gardening, crafting or knitting. Make sure your ideas or tutorials are original, as people won’t pay for something they could easily find for free.
Watch: 30+ BEST DIGITAL DOWNLOADS ON ETSY | Digital Products to Sell Online | Digital Product Ideas
Photography
Thanks to smartphones, almost everyone has a camera in their pocket at all times. However, there’s still a difference between someone who knows what they’re doing and someone who doesn’t. You can earn some money if you have a special eye for photography.
You can profit off your photos by selling them as stock photos. Alternatively, you can use sites like Redbubble, where customers can buy products with photos (or graphic designs) printed on them.
Thrifting and Reselling Online
Do you love the thrill of finding hidden treasures in the local thrift store or antique shop? Chase the high of a good secondhand purchase while putting cash in your pocket when you resell online. There’s a huge market for online shopping.
If you have a good eye for vintage fashion, try your hand at thrifting clothes. Books, records and furniture are other lucrative options. Consigning antiques allows you to discover beautiful pieces with high earning potential. Whatever your passion, you’re sure to find an eager audience online.
Do Proper Market Research
With your hobby-turned-side hustle in mind, now is the time to dive into market research. You should familiarize yourself with every aspect of your niche, from your target audience and potential competitors to what day-to-day operations will look like.
Familiarize yourself with the ins and outs of basic business practices. If you teach virtual classes or offer coaching online, how much will you charge per session? You should know basic pricing strategies for your industry. Are you going to advertise on social media or on local billboards? Creating a budget from the start will give a clear picture of where your business is going.
Connect with potential buyers or clients online. You can use everything from organized surveys to more casual social media polls and interactions to collect feedback. When your audience tells you what interests them, you can focus on delivering the content or products that best fit their needs.
Create a Unique Brand
Setting yourself apart is one of the biggest challenges of turning a hobby into a side hustle. Standing out online can be challenging enough — when you’re trying to convince people you have something worth buying, it can be even harder. Creating your unique brand will cut through the noise and ensure customers remember your name.
You can start with the basics, like coming up with a strong business name and recognizable logo that represents your passion. While you can hire a professional graphic designer, many online platforms allow you to create your own.
Next, determine your unique selling points. What makes your brand special? Maybe you’ve got decades of photography experience or have formal culinary training for your catering side hustle. Take advantage of your skills and wisdom — customers and clients want to support someone they can trust.
Set Clear Goals for Your Side Hustle
What do you want to achieve with your side hustle? Some people may be interested in turning it into their full-time career, while others might simply want to earn extra income. Having a clear idea of where you want to go will help you stay focused and find success, however you define it for yourself.
Setting goals will also help keep your side hustle manageable. How much time do you want to spend on your new business a week? Do you have unrealistic expectations for how fast you’ll grow? Creating clear and grounded objectives ensures you don’t overdo it and run out of steam before your enterprise has the chance to find its legs.
It’s much easier to track your progress when aiming for specific milestones. Steps like creating a vision board allow you to picture success clearly. You’ll be able to look back at your journey and feel a sense of accomplishment, whether you’ve successfully turned your hobby into a full-time job or happy to have a regular stream of supplemental income every month.
Turning a Hobby Into a Side Hustle Online
Whether you’re an artist at heart who makes crafts to unwind after your office job or a fitness fanatic eager to share your coaching with up-and-coming athletes, the internet is full of opportunities to share your passion. Turning a hobby into a side hustle is easier than you think. Do your research, set clear goals and stay organized to fulfill your dream.
Author bio: Cora Gold is a family finance writer and editor of women’s lifestyle magazine, Revivalist. She has been featured in publications including CafeMom and Mediabistro. Connect with Cora on LinkedIn, Twitter and Pinterest.
Some of the links in this article are "affiliate links", a link with a special tracking code. This means if you click on an affiliate link and purchase the item, we will receive an affiliate commission. The price of the item is the same whether it is an affiliate link or not. Regardless, we only recommend products or services we believe will add value to our readers. By using the affiliate links, you are helping support our Website, and we genuinely appreciate your support.
what do you think?
You must be logged in to post a comment.