Aurthor's Note:
After a six-month sabbatical from blogging, I was pleasantly surprised to get tons of requests for a new post from my followers. It warmed my heart to know that you missed our little "chats". I missed it as well, but have been busy getting my new life in Raleigh/Durham together. Never an easy feat. More about all of that later. To get me back on track, I asked for suggestions from you about topics you'd like to have addressed, and I promised the first requester that I'd make my first new post about their topic. I was excited when I read the request to write about turning a hobby into a job. While I've never personally attempted it, I know a lot of people who have and even more who wish they could. Thank you Barb Harvil for your suggestion!
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Time To Turn Your Hobby Into a Day Job?
If you've been thinking about turning that hobby you enjoy so much into a money-maker, there are a few things you should ask yourself. First and foremost, how hard do you really want to work? Next question you should consider is how long can you go without making a profit? A lot of us empty-nesters are re-evaluating our lives, especially when it comes to work. Some of us have "down-sized" our careers and taken a lesser job - less stress, less income, less advancement potential, etc. Others have retired all together and are enjoying volunteerism, travel, spending time with family. And then there are those who either have taken the plunge, or who are considering making the leap and turning their hobby into their job. That's the focus of today's blog post.
I have a friend in Richmond, Virginia who always dreamed of opening a cafe'. Nothing elaborate, just a little coffee house with some baked goods, open mic night, maybe the occasional lunch special. When he investigated the concept, he realized just how big this dream actually was. Even the simplest concept requires a major investment to get it off the ground. The cost of renting the space, in his case he also rented the equipment, paying the staff, finding a reliable source for the product(s). All in all, his initial investment, not counting salary was around $35,000. Add paying staff and giving himself a salary, and he was out about $100,000 first year. Even though the business is doing really well, he admits it will probably take him about 5 years before he will see a return on his investment. That's okay for him, because he counted on it, planned for it, and could sustain himself and his family during the build up process. He is open 7a.m. to 3p.m. 4 days a week, and 7a.m. to 6p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Because he had a very demanding career, his hours now are actually a whole lot better than they were. It's a family business so he and his wife get to spend more time together, and the most stressful part of his day is when one of the coffee machines breaks down. So for my friend, making the move from hobby to job has been largely successful and fulfilling.
I have another friend in Charleston South Carolina who loves to cook and decided to try a second career in food services after he retired from his corporate job. He bought a food truck and became an on-the-road BBQ shop. His initial investment was right around $100,000 as well. While business is booming, the hours suck. He said just to keep up with demand, he's working pretty much 6a.m to midnight, 6 days a week. That schedule works for him, but it wouldn't be sustainable for everyone.
Before you go whole hog, it may be a good idea to start off small. Keep your day job, and start on a very small scale working toward your future job. A young female friend of mine wanted to open a vintage dress shop, but, like most young people today, she is loaded up with student loan debt and isn't making top dollar at her entry level marketing job. She had accumulated a ton of really cool vintage clothes, and enjoyed shopping for that perfect piece. So she started a monthly Pop Up sale on line. She created a name and logo, built a very basic website connected with Pay Pal, and about a week before her "sale" she'd advertise on all of her social media sites, ask her friends to share the post, etc.. It started off slow. One piece would sell here and there. Then she ramped up her photos of the clothes and started writing descriptive stories about where the dress may have been worn in the 20's, what the woman had for dinner while wearing the charming 1950's hat and gloves, etc. Now she has a mobile shop that travels to festivals, parks, farmer's markets, just like a food truck. She recently quit her "day job" and is doing this full time. It took here about 4 years to get it up and running, but now her hobby IS her job. It can be done.
As much as I'd love to be my own boss, for me it's best to keep my hobbies as just that. The minute I am 100% dependent on any of my hobbies to actually pay my rent, the minute it becomes just a job. That's me, though. So for now, I'm going to keep cooking and dreaming up recipes, not for money, for the delightful end results! Here is one of my latest creations. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
After a six-month sabbatical from blogging, I was pleasantly surprised to get tons of requests for a new post from my followers. It warmed my heart to know that you missed our little "chats". I missed it as well, but have been busy getting my new life in Raleigh/Durham together. Never an easy feat. More about all of that later. To get me back on track, I asked for suggestions from you about topics you'd like to have addressed, and I promised the first requester that I'd make my first new post about their topic. I was excited when I read the request to write about turning a hobby into a job. While I've never personally attempted it, I know a lot of people who have and even more who wish they could. Thank you Barb Harvil for your suggestion!
-
Time To Turn Your Hobby Into a Day Job?
If you've been thinking about turning that hobby you enjoy so much into a money-maker, there are a few things you should ask yourself. First and foremost, how hard do you really want to work? Next question you should consider is how long can you go without making a profit? A lot of us empty-nesters are re-evaluating our lives, especially when it comes to work. Some of us have "down-sized" our careers and taken a lesser job - less stress, less income, less advancement potential, etc. Others have retired all together and are enjoying volunteerism, travel, spending time with family. And then there are those who either have taken the plunge, or who are considering making the leap and turning their hobby into their job. That's the focus of today's blog post.
I have another friend in Charleston South Carolina who loves to cook and decided to try a second career in food services after he retired from his corporate job. He bought a food truck and became an on-the-road BBQ shop. His initial investment was right around $100,000 as well. While business is booming, the hours suck. He said just to keep up with demand, he's working pretty much 6a.m to midnight, 6 days a week. That schedule works for him, but it wouldn't be sustainable for everyone.
Before you go whole hog, it may be a good idea to start off small. Keep your day job, and start on a very small scale working toward your future job. A young female friend of mine wanted to open a vintage dress shop, but, like most young people today, she is loaded up with student loan debt and isn't making top dollar at her entry level marketing job. She had accumulated a ton of really cool vintage clothes, and enjoyed shopping for that perfect piece. So she started a monthly Pop Up sale on line. She created a name and logo, built a very basic website connected with Pay Pal, and about a week before her "sale" she'd advertise on all of her social media sites, ask her friends to share the post, etc.. It started off slow. One piece would sell here and there. Then she ramped up her photos of the clothes and started writing descriptive stories about where the dress may have been worn in the 20's, what the woman had for dinner while wearing the charming 1950's hat and gloves, etc. Now she has a mobile shop that travels to festivals, parks, farmer's markets, just like a food truck. She recently quit her "day job" and is doing this full time. It took here about 4 years to get it up and running, but now her hobby IS her job. It can be done.
As much as I'd love to be my own boss, for me it's best to keep my hobbies as just that. The minute I am 100% dependent on any of my hobbies to actually pay my rent, the minute it becomes just a job. That's me, though. So for now, I'm going to keep cooking and dreaming up recipes, not for money, for the delightful end results! Here is one of my latest creations. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
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| Roasted garlic and mozzarella scrambled egg with fresh organic tomatoes 2 eggs, beaten until yolks are broken up 1/4 cup of evaporated milk 2 tbl of butter 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese 1 clove of garlic shopped and roasted 1 tbl olive oil, extra virgin 2 slices of your favorite tomato. 1 piece of sour dough bread, lightly buttered and sprinkled with parmesan cheese on both sides
Roast the garlic in a sauce pan with olive oil for about 30 seconds. Remove and set aside.
Beat egg, milk, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Melt butter in a sauce pan and swirl to cover the bottom of the pan. Mix the roasted garlic into your egg mixture and scramble for about 2 minutes or until egg is cooked the way you like it. Remove the egg mixture and use the same pan to lightly "toast" your bread. Cook for under 1 minute on each side. Put the eggs on a plate, top with two slices of tomato, and your sour dough toast. It's okay if you want some catsup, sriracha, or worcestershire sauce, but you really don't need a thing, well, other than coffee..
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