A new report by The World Poverty Clock shows Nigeria has overtaken India as the country with the most extremely poor people in the world. It is clear that this situation calls for an urgent intervention – and what better way to snag some extra cash than by working on a side hustle? You may ask yourself, “Do I have a life skill that I am currently only using in my free time?’’ If you play your cards right, there’s a chance that you can monetise it and turn some of your favorite pastimes into a viable income stream.
Here are a few things you can do to monetise your hobbies:
Cooking or baking
If you enjoy cooking, baking or anything of such nature, you have the potential to earn some cash. From starting a blog, YouTube channel, or Instagram account dedicated to recipes, to diving head-first into a business by creating your own food or cooking products.
Another option is to promote yourself as a private chef, where you cook in other people’s homes. If you’re really ambitious, you could even try your hand at catering events. Social media has made this pretty easy and you can promote the business via your Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or even Whatsapp stories.
Writing
Writing and publishing online has the potential to offer you a lot of practical value outside of being a mere hobby. You can use it to further your career and establish yourself as an expert on a topic. You can build a platform for sharing your ideas. The most obvious way to make money from writing, however, is to sell it as a service. Freelancing on various sites and reaching out to blogs for gigs are some of the easiest ways to make money off writing.
Blogging
Blogging is like a combination of writing, web development, marketing, relationship-building, and actually doing the activity you choose to focus on with the blog.
Once you start a blog, it can take a few months to get to the point of monetising it. Don’t focus on that aspect right away. Instead, focus on providing real value to your readers. That’s what will ultimately make your blog successful. Once you’ve built a platform you’re proud of, you can start forming affiliate partnerships or adding advertisements to help cover the costs of development, marketing, and your own time.
The great thing about blogging is that it gives you the flexibility to pursue the activities you’re really interested in. If you love travelling, start a blog about your trips and photos. If you love movies, start a movie review blog. If you’re into fitness, help people build nutrition and exercise plans for their lifestyles, etc.
Driving
If you happen to enjoy cruising around behind the wheel, you might consider turning your love of driving into a moneymaking opportunity. With the advent of companies like Uber, Oga Taxi, Taxify and their many equivalents, now’s the perfect time to get in on the action. You can do a few trips even after your regular work and make some extra money for yourself.
Childcare
If your home is the place where children love to gather and you enjoy entertaining and teaching them, your love of little ones could become a day job. Whether you start your own daycare or buy into a franchise business, the demand for quality childcare will remain strong as long as parents work away from home.
Social Media
In this age of social media and its addiction, you can utilise your love for the various platforms and find a way to make extra cash for yourself, either through helping individuals and businesses manage their social media accounts or by being a paid influencer to comment and promote new products/services.
Direct sales
If you love interacting with people, and learning about new products for fun, dabbling in direct sales could put more cash in your pocket. These days, there are a number of companies whose products you can sell at your own pace and on your own schedule. Find a line you can really stand behind, whether it’s fashion, skin care, or clothing, and start promoting its products at social gatherings, or even online. Better yet, recruit others to sell under you, and you’ll typically get a cut of their commissions as well.
Playing an instrument
If you love playing the piano or guitar, you have several opportunities to monetise that talent. For starters, visit shops or restaurants and see if they’re interested in having you provide live music for customers. If they bite, they may not pay a spectacular wage, but you’ll have the potential to make quite a bit from tips. You can also offer your services as a wedding or party entertainer and if you can’t manage to get paid to play, teach others to do so. You’ll bring in some pretty cool cash as an in-home music instructor, especially if you land a big client.
Animal Care
If you’re an animal lover by nature, you can turn your passion for pet care into an actual business opportunity. You can take somebody else’s dog for a walk, try pet sitting, or help to bathe them in exchange for payment.
Photography
Love taking pictures? Why not get paid for it? If you’re really good, you can try getting hired as a wedding photographer, where you’ll earn quite a lot of money, as photography is a very lucrative endeavor now. Another option is to offer your services as a family photographer and provide in-home or outdoor sessions for those looking to capture some precious moments with their loved ones. Though you’ll probably need to invest in equipment to get your business off the ground, if you drum up a respectable client list, you’ll recoup that money and then some – in no time.
Drawing/Painting
If you are a really good artist or painter, one easy source of income is to draw and paint during your free time. You can do this based on bookings, or at social gatherings where you gradually build your clientele. People who appreciate artworks are usually willing to pay anything to get a good one.
Podcasts/Vlogs
Every day, more people are downloading and listening to podcasts and Vlogs. Take advantage of this trend by profiting from yours. The better it is, the more listeners and followers you will attract. When starting out, your audience will be small but you should take time to create awesome quality content that’s relevant and unique for your audience.
You can make money by selling your own branded merchandise. Popular podcasts/Vlogs also make money through sponsorships. Businesses see the potential of reaching the right people, so if your podcast fits a specific target audience, then you could be making just as much money.
Take The Football Ramble podcast for example, with its huge audience and influence. Betting company, Bet365 is the official partner of the show, as it can see the potential reach.
The final piece of advice is to treat your hobby like a job. If you want it to become your main source of revenue someday, or at least a sustainable second stream of income, then you have to give it the attention it deserves.
Carve out time to work on your hobby, read about the industry, learn about sales and marketing and dedicate yourself to steady improvement. This is how to achieve positive results.