Is Turning Your Hobby To A Business A Good Idea ?

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Are you passionate about a particular activity? Do you want to turn your hobby in to a long term career? Well, it can be certainly an amazing idea to start your dream career by transforming your passion in to a lucrative business.

Turning hobby into business

Many of us dream of taking something we are good at doing in our leisure time and converting in to our main business focus. However, it can be easier said than done. Although there are numerous entrepreneurs who have achieved success by turning their passion in to business, the fact remains there are many more who will regret the decision throughout their life. So if you are planning to start a business from your hobby, then you need to think it through, else might not only lose your current job, but it may adversely affect your entire career and life.

Arthur Lucas, owner of Charleston Freehouse Brewery based in South Carolina, said he does not regret the decision of becoming a professional after years of being a home brewer.

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The former management consultant said “It's more a vocation. I don't really feel like it's a job. It's an over-expanded, all-encompassing hobby now. Everything has challenges—and I prefer these challenges. I'm allowed to do my own thing, even if it's hard, as opposed to being what someone else is looking for. That takes a huge weight off my shoulders.”

Making money from your passion

Want to convert your passion project into a lucrative career? Then you should be ready to face a lot of challenges. Most new entrepreneurs soon realise that running a business on a daily basis can be much more difficult than they had planned. Jay Adan, co-owner of Greenfield Games, had such an experience after starting his business. He opened Greenfield, currently the largest game store in Western Massachusetts, after leaving his career in public relations, with his partners Dave Fifield and  Seth Lustig.

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Jay Adan said “It was a critical time. None of us had ever run a retail store before. There really wasn't a full-time business person.”

So he and his partners took help from a former business associate, Joe Minton, to put the business in track.

Adan added “There's always stuff to learn. Passion can only take you so far. I know a lot about games and how they work, but that doesn't translate into how you run a successful business.”

Get ready for challenges

However, the risks of transforming your hobbies and passions in to a livelihood are not limited to economic challenges.

Hugh MacLeod, author of Ignore Everybody: And 39 Other Keys to Creativity, said “When your dreams become reality, they are no longer your dreams. When its a hobby, you're doing it for yourself, on your own time. But when you're doing it for a job, it doesn't feel like that. What happens is, your hobby, all of a sudden, is a source of major anxiety because you still have bills to pay.”

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Hence, the pleasant activities which could previously act as stress relief will soon turn in to anxiety-inducers when you start to make it a career. This can encourage you to pursue other hobbies and eventually lose interest in the original hobby, said MacLeod.

Although starting a business and making a career from your hobbies may sound conceptually great, You must make sure to take all the necessary steps to move through the difficulties, else you might fall flat on your face. You will need to have the right skills, knowledge, passion and determination to actually run your business successfully in the long run.

What do you think? Share your views and experiences with us by commenting below.

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