How to Turn your Hobby into a Business
Hobbies are fun ways to spend free time and create a new craft item or pursue an interest. The sense of accomplishment when finishing a project is the cause of the hobbyist finding a fulfilling new endeavor.Hobbiesprovide an outlet for unique creativity and varied interests that help the person develop a skill set or become an expert in their hobby interest. There is a growing market for handmade, one of a kind niche items that are unique and high quality. A really great potential for selling these hand made items for profit on line or at flea markets. If the item is a one of a kind item unique to the craftsman brand that opens another potential for new income. Some recent stories at CNN highlighted a woman who created hand made glitter shoes; she thought of placing intricate beading onto high heeled shoes. These shoes takes a few weeks to create and are custom designed; to her amazement her business continues to grow from orders by celebrities and consumers.
Networking
As a hobbyist who loves what they are doing, it is easy to share the enthusiasm with others by showcasing your items or skill set. There are many ways to inexpensively promote your product by networking with other hobbyists. Word of mouth is a great way to spread the word about your knowledge and craft to sell locally. Bring a prototype to demonstrate and show off the item, pitch and explain why this product would be a good niche item to add to their specific business. Share with word of mouth advertising and endorsements from customers that have purchased your item. Feedback from customers who purchase your item can be helpful to determine if product could be improved or modified in any manner.
There was a recent ABC News story of a stay at home mom who wanted to make her son feel better because he was battling an illness. This mom made a personalized super hero cape; it quickly became popular because she added his name on the back of the cape. Many friends and families started to request some of these home made capes for their kids, then it slowly started growing through a Facebook page. In an instance, this mom has a small home-basedbusinessin which she creates and sends these capes all around the United States and the world. This mom enlists the help of two other moms to make and ship these capes around the country for small profit.
Website presence
Advertising on social media is a great free method to promote products to millions of potential clients. It is a great opportunity to promote a brand if the item is unique and different. Protect your item with a copyright or trademark patent to prevent theft of intellectual property or product idea. Facebook allows people to create pages for their businesses besides their own profile page. Twitter is a fast way to promote sales on line by posting promotions and events. Create a free website usingwebs.comor write a blog about your hobby to attract customers. Websites should have very good content to have higher ranking on search engines.
Sell and build job prospects at flea markets
Sell your item at a local flea market or garage sale to gauge if customers would purchase the product. Consider demonstrating the time and craftsmanship that it takes to complete item. Showcase skills that possibly find small job projects, if the hobby deals with wood working, stain glass creation, jewelry maker or metal artist.
Open an Etsy shop
Etsyis a great online global shopping website which sells handmade crafts by artisans and hobbyists. Etsy sells vintage items that can be repurposed and up cycled as well; it's very different from what eBay or Amazon offers. Etsy is an idea generator which showcases what artisans can do creatively with reused and discarded items. There is no such thing as junk anymore; which is great for those concerned with the environment.
In summary, the hobbyist should continue to love and grow their passion for respective hobby. The passion and hard work is what makes the product a high quality completed product that displays the artisan's specialized talent. Hobbies may not bring in huge profits, but the extra income can supplement pay checks during this difficult economy.
