5 hobbies that can make you money

MOST of us might be familiar with the saying, if you do what you love then you will never work a day in your life. Naturally, the thought of this is quite appealing to most, but unfortunately very few want to take the risk of pursuing their hobbies professionally.

For those of us who have been laid off as a result of COVID-19, rediscovering our hobbies is a good place to start. For the others of us who are still blessed to have a job during this crisis but could still use a little extra to make ends meet, simply start pursuing your hobbies during your leisure time if you are serious about turning them into a side hustle or full-time career.

But what are some areas you can dive into now, considering that the pandemic is upon us?

Vlogging/blogging

Some of us simply can’t wait to get in front of a camera; we simply come alive. To make things even better, if you are likeable and keep people entertained, then instead of randomly sharing videos ever so often with friends on WhatsApp and other platforms, you may want to consider building a brand. And what better time than now when everyone is home and looking for fresh content?

Signing up with a site like YouTube, getting people to subscribe, and doing your best to promote your videos will soon mean a steady flow of visitors and subscribers. Once you keep growing you will be given the opportunity to add advertising arrangements, for which you will get paid.

With blogging, it’s similar. We all have topics and interests that we like to explore. If writing about them is your passion, then you should consider sharing them through websites such as WordPress, or you can build your own website. As you build your brand and your readership increases and traffic to your blog increases, it’s likely that you will also receive ad opportunities. Your income will depend entirely on you; so the more you blog, for example, the greater your revenues. You just need to put the right amount of effort into your craft and make sure you that you market your brand. While most people do this part time, many people have been able to make blogging and vlogging full-time jobs.

Sewing

Many of us know a thing or two about the sewing machine, whether we acquired the knowledge during classes in high school or from watching relatives who are seamstresses or tailors work. If you only get on the machine if you or someone needs something, then now is the perfect time to get some practice while helping to keep your fellow countrymen safe. Masks and protective covers are in high demand, and if you have the skills then you should capitalise on this earning possibility at a time when you may need the extra money.

Social media

The truth is, many of us are slaves to social media, some more than others. For some, social media is such an integral part of their lives that they have been able to generate a good following and have some amount of influence on their followers. Having a good social media following, and especially having some amount of influence on your followers, can position you for cool jobs such as a social media manager or influencer. Both jobs involve doing something that you enjoy and the jobs usually come with plenty of perks, for example, companies will send you free samples for your endorsement, you could get ambassador deals with companies, and you could get opportunities to travel and build your network, which could come in handy for other projects that you may have.

Tutoring

There are some among us who are very passionate about education; they can’t wait to be given the opportunity to mould the next set of minds. Now, between the COVID-19 pandemic and the increase in online learning, tutors are always needed in abundance. So why not get paid for something that you love to do? All that most online teaching businesses require are the proof of qualification/s, a passing grade for a basic English test, and in some instances proof of teaching experience.

Shopping

One thing is true and that is, women love to shop. And while getting nice things for yourself may be fun, why not do it for profit? Explore inexpensive sites online and set up an e-store — this can be done using regular social media pages in the meantime such as Instagram and Facebook. You can either buy in bulk and resell, or have customers pre-order for specific purposes. To make even more money, you can also offer services wherein you buy just about anything for customers using your own credit card, and in addition to the resale price, you can charge a credit card service fee. For now you can use the various delivery services to get products to your clients.