From hobby to money

Sayma is a university-going girl and a food enthusiast. As a foodie, she loves to review her experience of food tasting and restaurants on her private social account. One day, she decided to open a public page to share her experiences with a greater audience.

A year later, she is now making money out of it. Restaurants are paying her to taste their foods on the invitation so that she gives a review on her food blog about them.

Like her, we have all got our hobbies. While hobbies are usually known for being money drains, they do not always have to be that way. Some of them can become a stream of income if you direct your talents and interests.

Here are some ways of turning our passions into a source of income.                                                                               
Blogging 

Blogging is a tremendous way to express our passion for a particular subject. It can be cooking, business, health, food, makeup, finance, gadgets, etc. 

It is also a great way to make money staying at home. One can start his/her own blog on any topic s/he enjoys and engage with a community that shares the same interest. Every hobby has a fanbase. 

Take Tanita Hossain as an example. It has only been a few months since she started blogging, thequirkygirl_ on Instagram as a lifestyle and coffee blogger. But now, it becomes a profitable source for her.

“At first, I had no intention of making money out of my blog,” she said. “Growing up I used to get a lot of praises and queries on my outfits and room decor. As much I loved anything related to lifestyle and fashion, people’s interest in my likings inspired me to create a platform where I could publicly help them,” she added.

“Gradually, when brands approached me for paid collaboration, I took my hobby seriously and now I go by as a Faceless Content Creator,” Tanita further said.

However, one can rent out his/her blogging skills also. Websites like UpWork, Fiver are good freelancing sites to make money through writing.

Gaming

One of the common ways of spending free time is playing games. It can be an outdoor game or indoor game or games played with the family on the weekend or video games after a long tiring day. Either way, if you love gaming, there are many different ways by which you can make extra money with this hobby.
 

For example, one could be getting paid to play video games. Even can get cash-prize on tournaments for free-to-play games. 

In this regard, a deputy assistant manager of Bowling Footwear, Noor Un Nabi Khan said, “When I saw the gaming competitions becoming popular and I could win the tournament with a good amount of prize money, I decided to be a part of the gaming community.” 

He believes, as the IT sector is developing, the gaming world is widening also. “The most important tournament which I won was back in 2008, the World Cyber Games. For this, I got the opportunity to visit Germany, and represent my country by doing something which I love the most,” he said.

“After that, I won several national tournaments. I also participated in international tournaments in China, India through sponsorship. Now, people in the gaming community know me for playing counter-strike,” Noor said.

Baking or Cooking

If you love baking and cooking or if you notice that people are praising your baked and cooked goods, doing them commercially is a great way to earn in your spare time.

You can sell your foods through your page at parties, fairs, or even to local food shops. 

Joshoshi Jaminee is a job holder, also the baker of Sugarhigh. Being asked about her inspiration for making her hobby turned into a business, she said, “I discovered my love for baking when I was in school. But due to my study pressure, I was not able to give much time to it.”
 

“However, one day, a friend of mine wanted a decorative cake for a function, where I poured my heart to bake it. That day, I got many compliments for the cake. It was mostly the encouragement of loved ones that inspired me to turn my hobby into a source of income,” she continued.

At present, people pay a good amount of money for homemade foods and high-quality baking.

Giving credit to acquaintances, Joshoshi further said, “I have not promoted my page commercially yet, but I’m gaining a lot of goodwill and exposure. Till now, Sugarhigh has been booked for three consecutive weeks.”

Crafting

Do you enjoy making stuff and gifting them to your loved ones? Then why not converting your crafting hobby into a crafting business? From handmade cards and home decors to jewelry, there are several ways to showcase one’s craftsmanship. Moreover, the market for handmade craft is also growing. 

“I used to make key rings, hair bands, baskets etc out of crochet. One day, a friend of mine asked me to make her a shoe as a gift for her niece. It was the first time I earned money through my crafting and realised I had commercially viable products,” said Faiza Farzana, the owner of Kurushkathi.

Sharing her joy, she added, “The demand for my handmade crafts has now increased so much that I am shipping my products abroad too.” 

Photography 

If you own a camera and have a knack for capturing the beauty of every day’s moment or if you just enjoy taking pictures, then photography might be the money-making past time for you.

There are many ways to get paid to take pictures. One of them is to get started by reaching out to families and friends as a freelance photographer. 

Occasions such as family get-togethers, birthdays can be covered. This way, one can gain more experience and can begin to increase his/her rate and income. 
 

Another way of making money with photography is by selling photos online. By opening accounts on platforms like Flickr, Adobe Stock, and Shutterstock, one can reach potential buyers. 

Graphic designing  

Graphic designing is a creative money-making hobby that can be done at home or anywhere on a freelancing-based contract. Many freelancing platforms such as Upwork, Freelancer, Fiverr, 99Designs offer work to earn using this skill.
 
Moreover, once you acknowledge which creative designs have the most demand, you can start investing in your own inventory. 

Life should be enjoyable. Our hobbies are a medium to express our true self and I helps make ourselves feel better.  Thus, enjoy your hobby whether it is profitable or not. Money comes after passion. If you do something with happiness and love, it will be easier for you to make your hobby a business.