If you have a hobby you are spending time doing something you LIKE doing! We don't all like the work we do. We work because we have to, to make enough money to live. Some people take up a hobby simply as a means of turning off from the boredom or stress of work.
Some people are blessed with a job they enjoy. They like going to their place of work and love every minute they spend there. Their jobs are fulfilling. The job almost becomes a hobby in itself. When they come home in the evening, they just want to relax and do nothing in particular because they have exceeded their daily dose of happiness. It's time to wind down, refresh and get ready for tomorrow and another satisfying day at work.
I don't honestly think there are too many people like that around. Do you? Most people work because they have to. They work to pay the bills. They're in the job they do because that was all they could get. They'd like to move on but they can't find anything better.
So, what do they do to counteract the boredom, to cope with the stress, to make themselves feel happy, to feel they are acheiving something? They start a hobby! Something, almost anything, they can do in their spare time to make themselves feel better.
Hobbies come in all shapes and sizes but they all involve one or more of the following: collecting, doing, making, and above all learning. Learning is the most important activity because it applies to all the others. You learn almost by accident as you work on your hobby, you discover hints and tips just by doing what you do, you look for ways to overcome problems that arise, you research your hobby in order to do it better. All the while you are acquiring KNOWLEDGE and EXPERIENCE!
Whatever your hobby, all this knowledge and experience can be put to good use ... to MAKE MONEY!
In later posts I will be suggesting more ways all kinds of hobbies can be easily turned into money making ventures and detailing a few hints and tips about getting started.
More later ...
Saturday 29 November 2008
Tuesday 25 November 2008
Another Hobby Turned Money-Maker
I was talking to a lady the other day who makes a good living having turned a hobby into a full-time money making business.
This lady's hobby for many years was clay-modelling. She would fashion tiny figures out of the special modelling clay, fire them in her kitchen oven, and then paint them. She could produce caricature figures of almost anyone or anything. Her collection became so large it outgrew all the shelves her husband had specially put up to display them! He issued an ultimatum, "Stop modelling or I'm off!"
Her enthusiasm and skill were endangering her marriage! She had to find another outlet for her artistic talents.
Then one day out shopping she passed a cake shop. There in the window were three decorated celebration cakes, a wedding design and two humorous birthday cakes, advertising a made-to-order service. She wasn't overly impressed with the designs, and thought, "I could do better than that!"
She made enquiries inside the shop and was shocked at the prices they were charging. She determined there and then to try her hand at making and selling cakes herself. There was only one problem. She COULD NOT COOK!!
None the less she enrolled in a cake-making class at the local night school. Whilst there, she met another lady with similar aspirations. As it turned out the other lady was a dab-hand at baking but hopeless at decorating. They were a match made in Heaven and decided to join forces.
Today they are equal partners in a thriving celebration cake business. They have as much business as they can cope with. Each job they do seems to bring in more work by word of mouth. They hardly have to advertise. Lily bakes the cakes and Jean decorates them to any size or theme the customer wants. Birthday cakes sell from about £60 up to £160 and they charge as much as £300 to £500 for wedding cakes, and their customers are delighted.
Not money for old rope ... but good money for quality cakes!
More later ...
This lady's hobby for many years was clay-modelling. She would fashion tiny figures out of the special modelling clay, fire them in her kitchen oven, and then paint them. She could produce caricature figures of almost anyone or anything. Her collection became so large it outgrew all the shelves her husband had specially put up to display them! He issued an ultimatum, "Stop modelling or I'm off!"
Her enthusiasm and skill were endangering her marriage! She had to find another outlet for her artistic talents.
Then one day out shopping she passed a cake shop. There in the window were three decorated celebration cakes, a wedding design and two humorous birthday cakes, advertising a made-to-order service. She wasn't overly impressed with the designs, and thought, "I could do better than that!"
She made enquiries inside the shop and was shocked at the prices they were charging. She determined there and then to try her hand at making and selling cakes herself. There was only one problem. She COULD NOT COOK!!
None the less she enrolled in a cake-making class at the local night school. Whilst there, she met another lady with similar aspirations. As it turned out the other lady was a dab-hand at baking but hopeless at decorating. They were a match made in Heaven and decided to join forces.
Today they are equal partners in a thriving celebration cake business. They have as much business as they can cope with. Each job they do seems to bring in more work by word of mouth. They hardly have to advertise. Lily bakes the cakes and Jean decorates them to any size or theme the customer wants. Birthday cakes sell from about £60 up to £160 and they charge as much as £300 to £500 for wedding cakes, and their customers are delighted.
Not money for old rope ... but good money for quality cakes!
More later ...
Monday 24 November 2008
School Boy Hobbies and Money Making
When I was at boarding school, many years ago, it was customary for boys to have at least one hobby to help pass the limited amount of spare time between school activities.
There were of course many stamp collectors in those days but also a lot of quite unusual hobbies.
One boy I remember spent all his spare time wood-carving. He specialized in heraldic crests, coats of arms etc., and spent hours carving the intricate designs and then painting them. They were beautiful. Another boy taught himself to play the ukelele, I was fascinated by his musical talent and asked him to teach me, which he did, starting me on a lifetime of interest in musical instruments. Yet another boy was building a collection of geological specimens, rocks to you and me. He used to carry his rock collection to and from school each term in a large wooden crate with rope handles, called his "rocks box". As his collection grew, the box got heavier! In the end it took two of us to help him lift it into the train at end of term. Phew!
The point of this story is that although these boys were academic and probably went on into careers of an entirely different nature, they had their hobbies and the special skills they involved to fall back on for relaxation and possibly even a small second income.
There is no end to the possibility of making money out of the most bizarre of pastimes. All hobbies require that you build specialist knowledge and skills, sometimes without realising it. Knowledge is power. Whatever your hobby is, if you are not earning at least a bit of "pin money" out of it, you may be wasting a valuable talent.
More later ...
There were of course many stamp collectors in those days but also a lot of quite unusual hobbies.
One boy I remember spent all his spare time wood-carving. He specialized in heraldic crests, coats of arms etc., and spent hours carving the intricate designs and then painting them. They were beautiful. Another boy taught himself to play the ukelele, I was fascinated by his musical talent and asked him to teach me, which he did, starting me on a lifetime of interest in musical instruments. Yet another boy was building a collection of geological specimens, rocks to you and me. He used to carry his rock collection to and from school each term in a large wooden crate with rope handles, called his "rocks box". As his collection grew, the box got heavier! In the end it took two of us to help him lift it into the train at end of term. Phew!
The point of this story is that although these boys were academic and probably went on into careers of an entirely different nature, they had their hobbies and the special skills they involved to fall back on for relaxation and possibly even a small second income.
There is no end to the possibility of making money out of the most bizarre of pastimes. All hobbies require that you build specialist knowledge and skills, sometimes without realising it. Knowledge is power. Whatever your hobby is, if you are not earning at least a bit of "pin money" out of it, you may be wasting a valuable talent.
More later ...
Friday 21 November 2008
Sing a Song for Sixpence? - Not likely!
I've got a friend who was a choirboy at school and has loved singing ever since. He can do church music, classical, opera, popular ... you name it.
He sings just for the heck of it, any time, any place. I suppose you could call it one of his hobbies ... and one he makes money from!
He gets asked to sing at weddings, funerals and various other public functions. He doesn't advertise directly but has made himself known to all the local conference and function venues, wedding planners and funeral directors, and of course the service he offers is spread by word of mouth.
I know he gets quite well paid as a singer ... but he just WON'T tell me how much!!
More later ...
He sings just for the heck of it, any time, any place. I suppose you could call it one of his hobbies ... and one he makes money from!
He gets asked to sing at weddings, funerals and various other public functions. He doesn't advertise directly but has made himself known to all the local conference and function venues, wedding planners and funeral directors, and of course the service he offers is spread by word of mouth.
I know he gets quite well paid as a singer ... but he just WON'T tell me how much!!
More later ...
Wednesday 19 November 2008
Make Money from Your Interest
Most of us could do with a little bit of extra cash, and most of us have at least one hobby or special interest. But, we don't always think of putting those two things together; of finding a way to turn our leisure pursuits into profit.
Hobbies and pastimes usually start out as a way of occupying our free time doing something purely for pleasure. The money-making is done 9-5 in our regular jobs. Hobbies begin as a form of relaxation.
We tend to drift into hobbies. For example, someone buys you a model car kit for Christmas. You put it together and proudly display it. The next thing you know, you get another for your birthday. There's a collection starting! Next you're getting really interested. You start reading up about model cars, looking at catalogues, researching online, talking about your "new hobby". You maybe join a model-makers club ...
You may not realise it but you are becoming an expert, accumulating knowledge ... and knowledge can be turned into MONEY!
People will pay a high price for expertise. There are many ways you can turn the know-how and skills acquired from a practical hobby into a means of making money.
Here's just a few ways:
* Selling the things you make at craft fairs, and markets, and to shops.
* Writing articles for magazines that specialize in your particular interest.
* Teaching courses for people with similar interests.
* Buying and selling model-making kits online.
* Making models to order for shop displays, exhibitions etc.
Remember, the model car thing is just an example, but you can apply the principle to any of your own hobbies. Try it and see! It can certainly be done; how much money you make is of course entirely up to you.
More later ...
Hobbies and pastimes usually start out as a way of occupying our free time doing something purely for pleasure. The money-making is done 9-5 in our regular jobs. Hobbies begin as a form of relaxation.
We tend to drift into hobbies. For example, someone buys you a model car kit for Christmas. You put it together and proudly display it. The next thing you know, you get another for your birthday. There's a collection starting! Next you're getting really interested. You start reading up about model cars, looking at catalogues, researching online, talking about your "new hobby". You maybe join a model-makers club ...
You may not realise it but you are becoming an expert, accumulating knowledge ... and knowledge can be turned into MONEY!
People will pay a high price for expertise. There are many ways you can turn the know-how and skills acquired from a practical hobby into a means of making money.
Here's just a few ways:
* Selling the things you make at craft fairs, and markets, and to shops.
* Writing articles for magazines that specialize in your particular interest.
* Teaching courses for people with similar interests.
* Buying and selling model-making kits online.
* Making models to order for shop displays, exhibitions etc.
Remember, the model car thing is just an example, but you can apply the principle to any of your own hobbies. Try it and see! It can certainly be done; how much money you make is of course entirely up to you.
More later ...
Tuesday 18 November 2008
Can You Make Money from a Hobby?
Answer: Yes of course you can. And I've done it ... several times. Don't get me wrong - I'm no millionaire, but I have made a living through to retirement, from part-time businesses and self-employment.
Sometimes what money I made was hardly worth the effort, but occasionally I turned a fun activity into a means of earning cash and eventually into a thriving business. And all along the way my hobbies, and more importantly the skills I aquired from them, helped me build my enterprise and at the same time save money by carrying out some jobs myself, which otherwise I might have had to employ someone else to do.
Just lately I have been thinking a lot about hobbies. Hobbies I do now, some I gave up long ago, a whole list that I want to take up some time in the future. Interests and activities that others do have always intrigued me. There are almost an infinite number of hobbies and pastimes that people engage in.
And almost any one of them could be turned into a profitable means of making money. That's what I intend to explore in this blog.
More later ...
Sometimes what money I made was hardly worth the effort, but occasionally I turned a fun activity into a means of earning cash and eventually into a thriving business. And all along the way my hobbies, and more importantly the skills I aquired from them, helped me build my enterprise and at the same time save money by carrying out some jobs myself, which otherwise I might have had to employ someone else to do.
Just lately I have been thinking a lot about hobbies. Hobbies I do now, some I gave up long ago, a whole list that I want to take up some time in the future. Interests and activities that others do have always intrigued me. There are almost an infinite number of hobbies and pastimes that people engage in.
And almost any one of them could be turned into a profitable means of making money. That's what I intend to explore in this blog.
More later ...
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