I believe everyone’s got their own hobbies, such as photography, playing musical instruments, petting, etc. However, we only get to have fun with them while we are free. Wouldn’t it be nice to do more of what you love and actually earn more money from it? Here are 10 most common hobbies that can be turned into a stream of income.
1. Professional Gamer
Getting paid to play video games sounds too good to be true, but it’s possible to earn money by uploading your gameplay on Youtube. The greater the ‘liked’ and ‘subscribed’ on your Youtube video, the higher the commission you earn from Youtube. It could be a few cents to a few dollars depending on the traffic. Besides, Twitch can help you make money as a streamer, even if you’re just starting out, through their Affiliate Program.
The winner of the 2017 International Dota 2 Championships, TI7, EU team Liquid, took home a $10.8 million (S$ 14.13 million ) prize. Therefore, you can build a team and join the tournament in your state and then the world. Big money is paid out to the winner!
2. Music
If you are interested and skilled in singing, playing an instrument, or other capabilities related to music, there are many methods for you to gain more income. You can either become a tutor, giving music lesson or become a performer, performing in any special event or pubs. Besides, there are a lot of singers and musicians who got discovered from Youtube and Facebook. Justin Bieber and Carly Rae Jepsen are the best examples who started their homemade videos from Youtube and became world-famous after that. So, don’t let your talent get covered. Turn your hobby into a stream of income!
3. Writing
Everyone knows how to write, but not everyone knows how to write in an informative, well-researched and attractive manner. If you have this hobby and ability, you should become a freelance writer, as good content writers with niche expertise are usually in demand. You can run this job by signing up on sites like Fiverr or work with some companies that have demand for these services.
If you have a passion for a certain subject such as travel, food, business, etc., you may self-publish a book. Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing is ready to help you make money off your book, novel, travelogue and so on. Publishing takes less than 5 minutes, and your book appears on Kindle stores worldwide. You can earn up to 70% royalty on sales to customers in the US, Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, and more.
4. Craft-making
Craft-making is always a popular way to make money because the cost of making is very low, but the profit is high. Prior to the internet, it had been difficult to market the craft items. However, this isn’t an issue nowadays, as you can now sell your crafts on sites like Etsy, Ebay, and Amazon. After gaining sufficient profit from there, you may own an E-Commerce website as offered by web-hosting companies.
5. Photography
Photography is definitely many individuals’ side interest. If you enjoy taking pictures and you are good at it, you might think about starting your own home-based photography business. Instead of taking photos at special events or capturing portrait photos, you may also sell your creative photo to individuals, businesses, or stock photo websites. Many businesses need professional photographers to help them to capture their products and services and turn the photos into high-quality product images with which to advertise. Shutterstock, 123rf and iStock Photo are the sites that enable the photographer to sell their photos and earn extra income.
6. Pets
Are you a pet lover? If so, pet sitting and dog walking is the best job for you! What you need to do is just taking care of the pets and walking with the pets in the given time frame. In the United Kingdom, Dog walkers can charge up to an average of £11.50 (S$21) per hour per dog. Being a pet sitter or dog walker, you get the freedom to choose your services and schedule. Pawshake and Trustedhousesitters are the platforms that provide this kind of service, and you can apply for a job from there with just a few clicks.
If you are elite, you can provide pet grooming services too. This includes bathing, fur trimming, nail clipping and so on. The pet owner is willing to spend a lot of money on their lovely pets, hence go for this job, if you are good for it!
7. Fitness
The fitness industry keeps growing nowadays, as people are increasingly opting for wellness and fitness choices around the country. Hence, if you are a fitness buff, working as a personal trainer can be both physically and financially rewarding. A personal trainer is an individual certified to have a varying degree of knowledge of general fitness. They motivate clients by setting goals and providing feedback and accountability to clients. Based on analysis, personal trainer salary range is highly variable. A full-time position could start at S$3,500 a month, and most freelance personal trainers can earn up to S$5,000. Good personal trainers can make as much as S$14,000 per month. Wow! Besides that, some trainers even sell nutrition products and protein supplement which can earn them even more income.
8. Baking
You are not required to have your own bakery or restaurant if you want to sell your cookies or cakes. There are probably small shops, bakeries, farmer markets and specialty stores in your immediate area that either already sell specialty food items, or would be willing to take on a new line that looks profitable. Besides, you can start doing your business and build up the brand awareness through social media (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter). Word of mouth is absolutely the best way to promote your business in this industry. After accumulating the fund and you want to expand your business and enhance your professionalism, you may create your own ecommerce website with your own domain name.
9. Gardening
Gardening is a relaxing hobby that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. If you are the one who is passionate about gardening, you can turn this fun hobby to earn profit. This include setting up a stall at farmer market, or selling vegetables or fruits to the seller at the farmer markets. In addition, instead of selling the vegetable and fruit directly, you can also make extra money by selling things made from the products of your hobby: self-made pickles, canned tomatoes, jam and preserves, and so on. Bear in mind that organic fruits and vegetables can fetch a higher price!
10. Blogging
The long time blogging queen of Malaysia, Jane Chuck writes about her life, fashion and local issues in a provocative style. She has so far gained 521.6k followers in her instagram and generate a lot of income through advertising on the blog. From her lifestyle and daily expenses, you can know how much a blogger can made.
How does a blogger make money? The most conventional way to earn money from blogging is by selling advertising space. Bloggers allow companies to promotes their products and services to the audiences to earn advertising fees. Moreover, bloggers can collaborate and partner with companies to promote their products and services and earn some commissions once their readers/followers purchase/sign up. To create your own professional blog, you just need to have a Domain and WordPress Hosting.
Conclusion
Why not turn your hobbies and passion into a fun, flexible part-time job or interesting full-time job! If you are not sure how to get started, the internet can be the best resources for you to do research. Spend some time watching how other people are profiting off their favorite activities, and then put your own unique spin on it.