Earning a living doing something you love is the dream of many people. People are often so caught in the rut of paying off debts and clearing bills that they never have time to spend on the things they are passionate about. The good news is, the rise of the internet and advancement in technology has made it possible to turn hobbies into profitable side hustles.
If this sounds exciting to you, then read on. No matter what your interests are, you are sure to find something that will appeal to you on our list of the 17 popular hobbies to help you earn more money.
1. Blogging
Do you enjoy writing and sharing stories about some aspect of your life, such as cooking, travel, gaming, hobbies, etc.? If so, you can make money by creating a blog where you share interesting and engaging content.
As a remote entrepreneur, you can then monetize that content in a variety of ways, such as display ads, paid sponsorships, affiliate marketing, or even creating your own physical and digital products to sell to your audience.
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Benefits of Blogging
- Blogging has low start-up costs
- You can blog whenever you have the time
- No tech knowledge is required
- There is a potential to scale your income
In fact, these benefits are common to all the hobbies outlined in this article.
How to Get Started with Blogging
All you need to start blogging is to choose a name for your blog, register the domain, get website hosting, install WordPress, add a theme and some essential pages, and you're ready to start blogging. If you want to learn more about building a blog with simple step-by-step instructions in this guide on how to start a blog.
2. Writing
If you aren't quite ready to create your own blog but want to make money from your writing skills, consider freelance writing. You can start building up your portfolio by writing for sites like Medium or posting your content on LinkedIn. This will help you attract new clients and, as your writing skills improve, you can start charging more. Over time you'll be able to turn your hobby into a profitable side hustle.
How to Get Started with Writing
Put together a few samples of your work and sign up on freelance marketplaces where you can find clients or bid for relevant projects. Some of the best sites to consider include:
- Pro Blogger Jobs
- Fiverr Upwork
- Freelance
- Writing-related groups on Facebook
3. Reading
Love to read? You can make money from proofreading and correcting grammar mistakes from different types of content, including blog posts, ebooks, etc. This is a great job for someone with an eagle eye for spotting grammar mistakes and typos. The benefits of becoming an online proofreader are the same as for writing and blogging. You can work from anywhere, and this can be quite an interesting way to earn money.
How to Get Started with Proofreading
Head over to the freelance marketplaces mentioned above and create your profile. Offer your services as a proofreader and set your rate, and you can start to apply for the relevant jobs that match your skills.
4. Driving
If you love driving, there are a few easy ways to make money from it. For instance, you can use ridesharing apps like Lyft or Uber to offer rides to people. Alternatively, you can join DoorDash and be paid to deliver customer orders in your spare time. Depending on how many orders you can deliver a day, this can be a great way to generate money on the side while doing something you love.
How to Get Started with Driving
Simply sign up on the Uber or Lyft app. Once you register, the app will match you with people in your vicinity who need a ride. If you'd rather not have people in your car, sign up as a Dasher on DoorDash and the app will notify you whenever there's an order (complete with directions for the delivery), after which you can pick up the order from the restaurant and deliver it to the customer.
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5. Traveling
A lot of people have been able to turn their passion for traveling into a full-time career. Whether you want to do the same, or if you just want to earn a bit more money from your hobby, there are many different ways to do so, including:
- Working as a part-time travel agent
- Starting a travel blog (you can blog full-time or part-time)
- Creating a travel podcast or YouTube channel, or even buying a YouTube channel if you have the budget.
- Travel hacking with credit card rewards
This last one isn't technically a way to make money, but you can still save a lot of money in a variety of ways and be able to travel to different destinations around the world for extremely low prices - or even free.
6. Meditation
Since the beginning of the global health pandemic, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people searching for ways to reduce stress and improve their health. Meditation, in particular, has grown in popularity and if you love to meditate, you can easily earn money by teaching others how to do it effectively.
How to Get Started with Meditation
You can either create a YouTube channel where you can post tutorial videos for people who want to learn how to meditate properly, or you can start a blog and write helpful articles that answer your audience’s questions. Alternatively, you can create an online course and offer it on course marketplaces like Skillshare or Udemy where there is a ready-made audience or start using a coaching platform, build a client base and teach the proper techniques of meditation to paying customers.
7. Dog Walking and Pet Sitting
For many people, this is an extremely fun and rewarding way to earn extra money. If you are someone who loves hanging out with dogs, dog walking might be the perfect way to earn money while doing something you love. You can also offer pet sitting services to people in your area.
How to Get Started with Dog Walking
You can either create your own website or social media profiles where you can advertise your services.
Alternatively, you can sign up on websites like Rover and WagWalking, and once you've filled out a brief application, you'll be connected with the details of pet owners locally so you can start earning money just by being in the company of pets.
8. Illustration and Design
Are you good at creating graphic designs? If so, you could potentially make money by making graphic designs and selling them online.
You'll likely need to be adept at using software like Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, or CorelDRAW if you want to make real money from this type of hobby due to the level of competition from other freelancers online. However, the good news is that there are a lot of different ways to earn from your graphic design skills.
For instance, in addition to selling your actual graphic designs online, you can also use the original art piece on a variety of different mediums, all of which you can sell online, including:
- T-Shirts
- Coffee Mugs
- Canvas Tote Bags
- Tumblers
- Calendars
- Towels
- Posters
- Phone Cases, etc.
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How to Get Started with Graphic Design
If you want to become a graphic designer, you need to make sure you’re using the best graphic design software. There are many options to choose from including Canva, Adobe Photoshop, Inkscape, and many more.
Once you’ve picked the best tools for the job, you need to get your virtual art out there so that everyone can see what you have to offer. You can either create your own website or post on all your social media including Instagram (Creator or Business Account), Facebook (Personal or Business Page), Linkedin, Twitter, and wherever else you may have a following to show off your portfolio. Additionally, you can sell your graphic design services on sites like Fiverr and Upwork. Alternatively, you can sign up on DesignCrowd where you’ll get access to a wide range of design-related projects.
You can also use online marketplaces like Spreadshirt or TeeSpring where you can upload your designs and get paid a commission each time someone makes a purchase. Also, consider using graphic design proposals that are extremely useful for anyone looking into the world of graphic design. With an innovative, creative approach you can get your foot in that door.
9. Music
Are you good at playing or reading music? If music is your passion and you have a good ear for it, then you can make some money on the side performing a wide range of tasks in the music field.
For instance:
- Teach music in your local area
- Be a music tutor online
- Work with bands as a studio session musician
- Be a DJ at clubs, events, and parties
- Perform at local venues
- Start a music blog
- Share your music on YouTube
As you can see, there are a ton of different ways you can make money from your musical talent.
How to Get Started with Music
Since there are so many different ways to make money from your music hobby, it's beyond the scope of this article to talk about all of them. However, you can conduct a quick search online, and you'll find tons of articles on how to get started as a music tutor, course creator, studio session musician, DJ, or whatever else takes your fancy.
10. Cooking and Baking
The internet and social media have made it easy to transform activities like cooking and baking into lucrative hobbies. If you get an adrenaline rush from roasting a chicken, decorating cupcakes, or baking dog treats, you can start generating income from your passion by simply sharing your skills and knowledge with other like-minded people online. Before long, you’ll have a booming side hustle business doing something you’re passionate about.
How to Get Started with Cooking and Baking
Advertise all your amazing creations on social media, local stores, and any other places where you can get the word out about your product or cooking service. Once you've built up an audience, you could even partner with influencers and brands to get more exposure for your business.
You might also consider creating a website and blog where you share tips and how-to articles, baking/cooking recipes, etc. You can also start a YouTube channel and use video editor software to create short videos of your recipes with links to your website and blog. This will boost your engagement rates and help you land even more customers.
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11. Photography
Photography is one of the best hobbies for making money, and if you have a passion and are great at taking stunning photos, then you can make money online in a variety of ways. For instance, you can work with clients or you can sell your photos on stock photo sites. There's always a huge demand for beautiful images, including lifestyle photos, landscapes, and flat lays.
How to Get Started with Photography
Identify a photography niche or genre that you're exceptionally good at. This can be taking candid shots or staging your pictures, or professional jewelry photography. You might be good at capturing the spontaneity of outdoor locations, or maybe you enjoy the controlled environment of a studio.
Either way, make your choice and establish yourself as a professional in the niche by creating a portfolio of your work to showcase your expertise in that specific field of photography. You can then approach clients on freelance marketplaces, social media, or even in the offline space and offer your photography services.
Other Popular Hobbies
12. Gardening & Landscaping: Make money from mowing lawns, mulching, planting, snow/leaf removal, building decks, power washing, etc.
13. DIY Crafts: Create jewelry, bath and body products, novelty items, wedding-related products, etc. and sell them on sites like Etsy and ArtFire. You could also launch your own store on a platform like Shopify. It’s a great platform for beginners with thousands of apps to choose from.
14. Brewing Beer: A dream come true for many people, you can make money by brewing your own beer or selling recipes.
15. Gaming: Sounds unreal, but it's true. You can start a streaming channel on Twitch and get paid to play video games or download apps like Mistplay or Gamehag to make fun playing your favorite games on your phone
16. Shopping Online/Grocery Shopping: Love to shop? Why not profit from your passion by signing up on sites like Rakuten so you can get back some of your hard-earned cash?
17. Social Media: On social media, you can make money by becoming a virtual assistant, social media manager, or even get paid to share pins on Pinterest!
18. Become a reseller: By becoming a reseller, you can buy products at a lower price and sell them at a higher price. You can easily create seller accounts on websites like Amazon, eBay, and others..
One important thing to remember is that people are using all sorts of different payment methods. You need to make sure you accept all major debit and credit cards, PayPal, CashApp, Venmo, Bitcoin, and other popular payment methods.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are a ton of ways to get paid to have fun. And the 17 hobbies listed in this article don't even scratch the surface. There are also things like planning and organizing, sharing your opinion, becoming a speaker, language tutor, fitness instructor - the list is virtually endless.
All you have to do is look at anything you enjoy doing that you are skilled at or knowledgeable about and you'll be able to monetize your passion to start earning more from the things you love.