How to Turn a Hobby into a Career

In the past year, applications for employer identification numbers (EINs) have shot up past 3.2 million. This shows that now more than ever, people are considering working for themselves rather than a traditional job. If you are someone who is considering working for yourself and turning a hobby into a career, follow these steps to getting started.

1. Identify your skills and interests. Research to see if there is a scalable market for the products or services you plan to offer that will allow this to be a viable career.

2. Focus on financial feasibility. A business needs money to survive. Don’t quit your day job to pursue turning your hobby into your career. Grow your business without the pressures of having it as your sole source of income. Make sure to take this time to research your potential audience, determine its pain points, and figure out a way to differentiate yourself from competitors. Once you’ve done your research, start your business as a side hustle.

3. Start advertising and marketing. Even without a large advertising budget, social media makes it easier than ever to reach a large amount of people without spending a lot of money. This is also a great time to start collecting Collect emails from potential customers and keeping in contact with them. Businesses of all sizes need to keep in constant contact with potential clients and customers in order to convert them into paying clients and customers, and social media and an email/mail list are the two most efficient ways to do so.

4. Launch Your Website. You will want to do this in conjunction with step 3. Consumers do most of their research online, so using keywords on your site will help lead potential customers to your store. Google offers a keyword research tool where you can search common terms in your industry and discover which have the highest conversion rates.

4. Hire on additional team members. It is recommended to bring on new employees as soon as you can afford them. You should create a clear outline of your company culture, goals, and expectations. A business of any size operates much more efficient when everyone is on the same page working towards a common goal.

While it may seem like a lot of work to turn your hobby into your career, with a little risk you may see a lot of reward. If you need help with starting your small business, Sandia Area may be able to help.