For many people, the worlds of work and recreation are completely separate ones. We trudge to our 9 to 5 job, sit behind a desk for a few hours, then come home and indulge whatever hobby we find most enjoyable. Some of us watch movies; others play video games; still others build models, exercise, or do other physical or manual things. These things bring us joy after a difficult day, making us feel like the times we struggle at work are worth it.
Depending on what your hobby is, there’s a very good chance you might be able to make it work for you as a money-earner. This is a great idea; whether you’re looking for a little extra income on the side of your main job or you’re hoping to replace the daily grind with something more edifying, your hobby could be made to work for you. Of course, this won’t work for everyone; it’s much easier to make money blogging, for example, than it is from playing video games.
Still, there’s a surprisingly wide variety of hobbies which offer routes into making money for you. We’ve put together a list of some of the best hobbies with which to make decent money, as well as how to go about doing so.
Sports betting
If you’ve ever indulged in a little wager on a football game with your friends, or had an accumulator on a tournament, then you’ll be familiar with the world of casual sports betting. It might seem like making money is just as much of a possibility as losing it; after all, you don’t have any direct control over the outcome of the game you’re betting on. This is not the case, however. Using proven systems offered by excellent outlets like Sports Betting Expert, you can turn a profit on betting and create a tidy little income for yourself while doing so. Using techniques like matched betting, which works by placing opposite bets with different bookmaking sites, you can entirely legitimately and legally guarantee money through sports betting. You’ll need mathematical knowhow, multitasking nous and a head for sports, so make sure you’re the right kind of person before you embark on this endeavour.
Blogging
Are you a skilled writer? Are you already maintaining a blog about something within your sphere of special interest, just for fun? If so, it might shock you to learn that this downtime hobby could be earning you money. There are various ways to make cash by blogging, but be aware that all of them require a significant time and effort investment before they begin to pay dividends. You could seek out affiliate partners and advertise their products within your blog; if you embed affiliate links (links to a company’s products) organically within your content, you’ll earn a small amount each time someone purchases a product through that link. In addition, if you’re enough of an authority in your field, you could charge to give seminars and talks online, or perhaps even get paid to guest-write for someone else’s blog. Writing for a living is hard work, but it is entirely possible to do for the right kind of dedicated individual.
Personal fitness
5am risers, this one’s for you. If you consistently find yourself stretching your fitness goals to the absolute limit in pursuit of the perfect body (for you), then you might want to start looking outwards. There are plenty of personal training courses you can take, many of which are specialised to certain areas of fitness (cardio, building muscle, military-style fitness, et cetera). Depending on your personal workout regime and how willing you are to essentially become a teacher, there could be a lot of money in personal training. Be aware that this might involve quite a bit of travel; some clients may not be able to make it to your local gym, so a centralised location which is within travel distance for both of you may need to be agreed. This also isn’t a job for those who like their holidays or sick days, because being self-employed means you are your own boss and therefore responsible for your work schedule.
Creative industries
The creative industries are notoriously difficult to break into, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be lucrative money-making avenues. If you’re a professional photographer, you’ll always be in demand for events like weddings, functions and conferences, so even though these might not be your main creative outlet, they’re still a great way to do what you love and get paid for your trouble. Similarly, music is a hard road to take if you’re after quick profit, but those same events are often looking for live music and will pay bands handsomely for their time and effort. Bonus points if you can tailor your setlist to your client’s personal wishes. You’ll still be able to pursue your own personal creative projects in these fields, but it feels great to get paid doing what you love, even if it isn’t exactly what you imagined being a professional photographer, musician, artist or similar would be like.
