04 Sep My Entrepreneurship Journey: How To Turn Your Hobbies Into A Business

.What does eating, traveling, blogging, djing, mcing, research projects, going to events taking pictures and doing videos have in common? They are all hobbies that I got paid for! « Do what you love » This is the quote that inspires me most mornings when I go to WeWork. Engraved on their coffee mugs, this quote speaks volume. I realize that there are quite a few people that settle for a career instead of pursuing their true passion. Since I left my day job in 2016, many people ask me the same question: Are you making enough to make a living? Of course, I am! I make enough to live. I do not regret the leap of faith I took almost 2 years ago but do not think that my life is perfect… the grind is real.

Since the age of 13 years old, I was always trying to find a way to make money from my hobbies. From selling my first rap mixtapes to getting paid to do homework, I had 50 Cent’s mentality « Get Rich or Die Trying ». Most people don’t get it, whatever you like to do, you can get paid for it. I REPEAT, WHATEVER YOU LIKE TO DO, YOU CAN GET PAID FOR IT. In this blog post, I want to share with you different ways to turn your hobby into a business.

Invest In Your Hobby

One of the main factors that helped me turn my hobbies into a business was the investment I would put into it. When I started djing, I saw a difference when I actually owned my own turntables and speakers. When I was younger, I used to do rap music and decided to take it more seriously and created a rap label called Dimepiece. (S/O if you remember DimePiece!) This hobby got more serious when I created a website and had business cards. If you want to turn your hobby into a business, make sure that you are not treating your business like a hobby!

You have to think of the money that you are putting into your hobby as an investment. I recently decided to focus more on photography and videography for personal use and for commercial. I invested money in online classes and equipment such as a better camera and a stabilizer to make my photos and videos better!

Investment does not only mean putting money into your hobby. It also means putting the time it takes to understand the business side of it more and to gain more knowledge about your hobby. I previously wrote a blog post on how to become a content creator. The tools I share are mainly the reasons why I am able to make money for my content creation services! You have no excuses to not put time as an investment. Do it if you eventually would like to turn this hobby into a business.

It is not a sprint so take it easy

This notion of going for the long-term when it comes to your hobby is important. I remember when I started djing or when I started doing videos… I would do it for free and people from my surroundings would ask me WHY? Why are you doing it for free? How do you expect getting paid for it if you are not even charging for it? Why are you putting that much time into it if you are not making money? Do not listen to these question and keep building the foundation of your business. Starting to offer your services or products for free will result in getting exposure, getting recognition or help you get experiences.

I keep going back to the same example of DJ and videography because they are 2 hustles that I started doing for free that generated over thousands of dollars in the past year. Do not be too eager to get paid as soon as you are able to perform one service. Your first goal is to build your name first.

However, the next question that comes when I talk about taking your time is when do I start charging? Honestly, there is no good or bad time really to start charging for a service. If you feel that you deserve to get paid for it, give it a shot!

Promote It!

It might sound obvious but one step into getting your hobby into a business is promoting it. There are so much noise online that promoting your business serves two reasons. Firstly, it lets people know that you are actually looking for business. Secondly, it keeps you on top of their mind. That is important because they’ll think of you when they need you or they know someone that needs your services. They are different ways to promote your business. You can post it on social media, on marketplace (kijiji, facebook groups, craigslist) or simply by networking. Do not underestimate the power of networking. When doing it the right way and consistently, it could turn your business into an empire! That being said, do not be shy to promote your business, at the end of the day you are the best ambassador for your business!

Now I would love to help you. Shoot me an email, I would love to help you get started on your road to freedom and turn your hobby into a business. Do not live to work but instead, work to live.