Earning money doing something you love really is the ideal situation.
And thanks to the internet, more people than ever are able to utilize their skills and turn what was once a hobby into a business that can earn you a decent income or even become your full-time job.
If you’re smart about it, you can make the most of just about anything you’re good at and reap the financial rewards. Here are some of the ways you can turn something you love into an income.
These methods could also be used to get you some passive income.
Blogging
Blogging is free to set up, you can write it on any topic, and it gives you an incredible opportunity to connect with likeminded people. Blogging is certainly a good hobby to have, and along the way, you will pick up a wide range of skills that you can use elsewhere too. But blogging can also make you some good money too. Brands quickly discovered just how powerful of an influence bloggers have, and are keen to work with high-quality websites. The first step is to improve your site as much as possible, hiring an SEO agency could help here. The higher you rank in Google and the better your site ranks for things like domain authority will all influence how valuable your site is. Once it’s reached a certain level, you’ll find sponsorship opportunities and any rewards from affiliate advertising are much higher. Many bloggers have managed to make their blog their full-time income, and while it can take a while to get established and to that level, you’ll be doing something you love in the process! Starting a blog solely to make money probably isn’t going to end well because you do need to have the passion there. It’s this love which allows you to produce regular high quality and unique content multiple times a week- even during times when there’s no money being made.
Art, Crafts, and Design
If you’re great at art, design or any kind of craft then you’ll be right at home on a site like Etsy. This online user marketplace allows you to open your very own little shop and is designed for people selling the beautiful things they have created. You could sell anything from sets of digital clip art you have made, or create stunning physical prints and ship them out to people. You could create your own homemade candle shop; you could sell textile crafts such as curtains and cushions. You could make jewelry, bath products or clothing. You name it if you’re good at something you can sell it and turn it into a business. Take stunning stock photos of your products to catch potential customer’s eye, and don’t forget engaging descriptions.
Tutoring
If you’re good at something, why not pass on your knowledge and teach someone else? If you’re a patient person, this would be ideal. You could offer online courses or support including phone calls and Skype chats. Or you could advertise in your local area and go out and tutor people this way. An excellent way to make money by doing something worthwhile. You could even create video tutorials and put them on Youtube, these days Youtube is an excellent career opportunity within itself!
Gardening
While you can sell the harvest that you grow, creating your own artisan products from your garden can earn you significantly more. Many fruits are really easy to grow at home and allow you to make your own jams, jellies, and chutneys. Installing a greenhouse is a good idea since it will allow you to stretch out the growing season and get more crop produced throughout the year. If you don’t have a large garden, you could consider hiring out a patch at a local allotment to give you more space. Other products you could make yourself could be anything from bread to cheese. However, if you’re creating a food business, it’s important that you get the right licenses and permits, including things like food hygiene and safety certificates. While you can’t sell your home brew or any alcohol products from home, there are plenty of other types of food and drink you can create and sell in your own business.
Photography
Do you have a creative flair and an eye for detail? Many amateur photographers are able to make a good income from selling their snaps online and make a decent side income. You can sell your photos to ‘microstock’ photography websites such as Shutterstock. Here you’ll earn a little bit of money for every person that downloads your image. For things like landscapes and flowers you’ll earn a little money each year (mainly because these kinds of photos are abundant and there’s less demand for them). However if you can take high quality photos of models in different commercial poses, you can make a fair amount. Be sure to get the appropriate model release to be able to sell them, this is simply a form that you need to fill in and submit with the picture. Rather than doing individual photoshoots and charging a client a certain amount of money, this way you can upload as many pictures as you want and then continue earning from those pictures indefinitely with no further hassle from you. It can be difficult getting photos accepted on the highest quality sites, but if you keep snapping away and submitting your best ones you’ll eventually build up a decent portfolio. If you’ve been into photography as a hobby for a while, chances are you already have tons of pictures saved on hard drives and things. Why not put them to use? People will get great photos to use and you’ll earn some extra money rather than them just sitting there.
As the saying goes, do something you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. So whether you simply want a little side income or you’re hoping to change your career later down the line, look to the things you know you’re good at and that you enjoy.
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