The modern world is a very different place from just 25 years ago. Zimbabwe puts its own spin on this by adding a layer of complexity in making ends meet. Those of us who are resourceful or just determined can find extra sources of income through hobbies. Matter of fact entire big businesses have been started just off hobbies. Let’s look at 10 hobbies that can put money in your pocket.
Writing and editing
As internet usage, penetration and presence grow there is greater need for content and copy out there for the near infinite online platforms. There are people starting businesses in so many areas on a daily basis and putting them online. Content companies have come to the fore; they generate content for these businesses web platforms. These are usually flexible arrangements with part time hours. You can also offer editing and proof reading services to businesses and report writers. As a matter of fact, the opportunities with this one are so wide. There are so many ways to use this gift to make you money.
Cooking and baking
Of course food had to be high up on the list. If you have a culinary gift it is perhaps the easiest hobby to monetize. There’s the regular ideas like catering and baking but there are also some pretty out there ideas like the Spitman and the Mixologist. Perhaps the best thing about monetizing this hobby is you don’t need to look far for your customers, within your very circle you will find your customers. Also consider preparation of food related items such as chilli sauce (an underserved market if we’re being honest) , jams and other preserves.
Coaching
Another one that is fairly simple to monetize is coaching. Now coaching immediately inspires ideas of sports and that quite correct as a place to start. However coaching can extend to things that you wouldn’t immediately think of such as Pineapple creative studios Dance classes. If you have a skill that you can teach then there’s an opportunity for you. The market is also very lucrative when looking at children who want to venture into a particular pursuit or whose parents feel they need to learn particular skills. Perhaps the school system is not providing the skill or doing so adequately.
Arts and crafts
Art has always been good business, modern developments have made art and craft much more lucrative. Through what is called tail-ending the internet has brought groups of people closer together. With the internet you can reach the 150000 people in the world who are interested in what you offer without geographical limitations. Spaces like Etsy have made it even easier to reach people around the world. Rwandan ladies came up with Only one basket which sold handmade reed baskets and sold them worldwide. Bead jewelry, wire artwork, paintings, stone sculptures and more can be sold.
Gardening
So food had made it on this list twice and it really deserves to be. Instead of looking at growing the regular tomato and selling it consider specialty produce. If you have a green thumb why not delve into growing something that’s hard to find but people are willing to pay a premium for. Truffles for example. There’s a lot of opportunity here. The rampant food inflation means there are gaps in the market waiting to be filled.
Computers, internet and social media
Yes, to some people coding is a hobby. Sounds strange but there are people who do it for fun. Actually this applies to any computer related skill set. This is a field that is expanding faster than the solutions available to fill it. You spend your entire day on social media why not get paid for it? Other computer skill based hobbies like design can make you a lot of money with the right approach. Yes fliers are a nuisance as it is but you want to know what’s worse? An atrocious flier. There’s many possibilities with computer skills. CV writing, document design, coding and so on. It’s a big space to there’s a lot of room to play.
Gaming
Every kids dream right? Well we are in the day when the dream has become a reality. Gaming pays and it pays pretty big. The e-sports industry is only just finding its feet but it has already proven a viable career choice. For those who game as a hobby there’s opportunities to be a tester of games, which you are compensated for.
Music
This is a really underrated and overlooked market because we have such a populated music industry. There are some hidden opportunities in music besides the usual records and touring. If you are of the right type or genre of music you could appeal to the needs of corporates for their private events. Sessionists can earn decent money. The idea is to be clear about your offering. It’s not limited to singers either, sound engineers and producers can make money of producing jingles, sound bites and samples.
Reviewing
Have you tried every single service provider on the market or close to it? Do you give your opinion on products freely? Well there’s an opportunity for you in reviewing. Look, people just want to get the best product they can all things considered. Reviewing allows people to sift through the market but on someone else’s dollar. Given the state of the economy that concept will be welcome by many customers. Reviewers extract money in many different ways depending on how established they are in the market but it’s not uncommon to do paid reviews.
Photography
As a hobby photography provides a host of ways to monetize. You can also provide photography services for parties and events. Photography covers much more though. Consider the internet and the aforementioned need for content the same applies to visual content. Stock photography is an essential part of the internet. You may capture the perfect scene of your city or town and people pay royalty for image use. You may be in a position to photograph things that people don’t often get to cover. The average social media user now requires high resolution images too so there’s another money outlet.
Those are 10 hobbies that can mean money for you if you harness the power within them.
