Hobbies that Make Money

When best friends, Amanda Buhse and Tom Jansen, started making candles, they did it as a hobby with a five-year goal in mind to turn it into a full-time business.

Little did they know that their handmade, high-quality candles would be such a hit, that just five short months later they’d be in a position to quit their day jobs and focus their attention full time to Coal and Canary Candle Company.

The brand, aimed at contemporary, young professionals, has become so popular that their candles were even included in the 2015 Grammy Award Gift Bag given to nominees!

Hobby success, like this, isn’t uncommon. After all, when people do things they love, good things usually come of it.

Are you a hobbyist? Think your hobby can’t amount to profits? Thank again. Here are some common hobbies that can make money (just in case you need a little inspiration).

Writing

J.K. Rowling wanted to be a writer at an early age. However, she never really pursued writing as a means to make money until, as a single mother, she was struggling to make ends meet while on welfare.

That’s when she decided to sit down and write what would turn out to be one of the most successful book franchises ever: Harry Potter. Rowling is now one of the wealthiest women in Britain, and it all started because she loved to write.

While her story may be extraordinary, many people turn from hobbyist writers to paid pros.

I interviewed Fiverr seller, Brooke, 67, who is retired and living off of social security each month. He wanted to supplement his fixed income by writing short stories — something he always enjoyed doing.

Brooke earns about $10,000 extra a year writing 500-word children’s stories — not too bad for something he truly loves doing!

If you love to write too but aren’t sure how to get paid for your words, check out the eBook, How To Make Money Writing: Your Guide on How To Get Paid To Write Including How To Score Creative Writing Jobs, Article Writing Jobs, Content Writing Jobs, Technical Writing Jobs

This book covers creative writing, article writing, and other content jobs that can easily take your hobby writing into a genuine income every month.

Photography

Whether you enjoy taking pictures of nature, portraits of people, or lending your skills to document important events, there are plenty of opportunities to turn a love of photography into a well-paid career!

In fact, selling photographs to stock photo companies is a popular way for shutterbugs to create a passive income stream. Although these stock photo sites operate a bit differently, the basic premise is the same: you take a photo, upload it, and get paid every time someone purchases it.

The Penny Hoarder has a great guide, Make Make From Your Photos: A Beginner’s Guide to Selling Stock Photography, to help you get started.

Photographers can also make some pretty good money by starting a photography blog. While you may not make a ton of money right out the gate, you can launch a money-making blog based on your love of photography (who better to document a journey than a photographer?)

Christina Greve was a former life coach with a passion for taking pictures. Although she had just a cheap beginner’s camera with one lens and knew next to nothing about camera settings, lighting or posing, she was able to start a lucrative photography business built solely on determination and passion.

Now she runs a successful business, blog, and as a bonus, she even offers a free photography course for beginners.

Shopping

For some, I know shopping goes beyond buying basic necessities like food and clothing and becomes somewhat of a hobby (sport?) when it comes to finding the best possible deal.

If you enjoy shopping and the thrill of hunting for a good bargain, you can actually make good money finding low-priced items and reselling them for a profit.

Some people make a full-time income buying items cheap and flipping them online. A popular platform to do this is through Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA). Through this seller’s program, you send products directly to Amazon and they list them for you (on the world’s largest online store!) You get paid when an item sells and Amazon gets a percentage.

For those who prefer the thrill of treasure hunting at second-hand stores and garage sales, you can also flip those finds on sites like Ebay, OfferUp and even Facebook.

I regularly go to thrift stores and use the BookScouter App to easily scan ISBN (book barcodes) to find out instantly what a book is worth on 45 different sites.

It’s not uncommon that I come across books worth $50 or more in just one thrift store trip. BookScouter is free (and easy) to use and is worth downloading the next time you head to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army — I’ll bet you can too can find a couple hundred dollars’ worth of books sitting on the shelves.

Or, if you are a bit of a budget fashionista, there are more than a few sites you can sell gently used name-brand and designer clothing on — and make a surprisingly good living.

23-year-old college student, Alexandra Marquez, makes an average of $5,000 a month selling used clothing she finds at thrift stores on the popular app, Poshmark.

Wondering what you should be on the lookout for next time you’re at your local Goodwill? Check out these 8 Best Items to Resell for Profit.

Crafting

It’s no secret that the crafting scene has exploded in popularity in recent years. For the hobbyist crafter, this is great news since there are no shortages of places to sell your creations.

Crafters can set up shop on popular sites like Etsy or, newly launched, Amazon handmade. For those who love to craft for fun and show others how to put together handmade creations, setting up a crafting blog is a great way to go.

Think you can’t make a living knitting, crocheting, bedazzling, and creating?

Alicia Shaffer started selling handmade leg warmers, scarves, and knitted headbands in 2011. Her bohemian-inspired items quickly caught the eye of many shoppers and she was soon earning $80,000 a month selling on Etsy!

If you’re already an avid crafter but aren’t sure how to launch your hobby into a home-based business, read these 10 Things You Must Do to Have a Successful Online Craft Business.

Acting

You don’t have to be on TV or in movies to be an actor. Many people enjoy hobby acting in their local community theatres simply because they love the art of it all — can you blame them? Plot lines, costumes, stage make up — sold!

Outside of traditional roles like landing commercials or theatre gigs, there are a surprising number of ways to earn a very good living while exercising your acting chops.

Take Linnea, for example. When she was just 14 years old, Linnea moved to New York City with the hope she would fulfill her dream of becoming a professional actress. While she’s never given up on her ultimate goal, she has started doing freelance work to help make ends meet.

Her service?

She uses her love of acting to perform as a voiceover artist. In fact, Linnea has earned more than $200,000 selling her talent on Fiverr. This arrangement lets her hone her skills while still pursuing her acting career.

Another profitable idea for individuals who are comfortable in front of the camera? YouTube!

Seriously.

The Top Earning YouTube Stars in 2015 are all millionaires. Yes, millionaires. In fact, the top 13 earners made more than $54 million combined in 2015.

They Did It — You Can Too!

I share all of these (amazing) stories of hobby success to illustrate that you really can take something you enjoy doing for fun and turn it into a career (while still retaining all of the joy in it!)

Looking for a little more hobby-to-profit inspiration? Check out these articles:

Make Money Teaching Online Courses at Udemy from Real Ways to Earn Money Online

Start Your Own Home-Based Herb Business from Work at Home Mom Revolution

Become a Personal Online Stylist at Stitch Fix from Free Work at Home Guide