Starting a business definitely comes with it’s own long lists of to-dos. Knowing where to start is often the toughest part. When a business that you would like to start also involves promoting and selling something that you create, the tension or stress surrounding your long list of to-dos becomes more personal than purchasing ready-made goods to sell. Let’s dive into some important initial steps to take to start to turn your passion into money.

Turning your hobby into a business is within reach when you have assistance along the way. Following those who have done it already will help you to avoid wasting time making mistakes that can be avoided all together.

After having a hobby for a period of time, no doubt you form a flow and process that allows you to create with ease. This process is considered as “working in your business.” This is half the work needed to begin, and succeed in, your business. The other half is the administrative side that allows your creations to be found and sold. These actions are considered “working on your business.”

The following 7 steps will help you begin to work “on your business” and start to share it with your prospective customers.

1. Believe In Your Work

   In order to be able to convince someone that your work is worth their attention, and money, you first have to have that belief, that confidence. Once you know that your work is worthy of praise and is valuable, and that others will see it’s value, it will be easier for you to communicate this to your potential customers.

   Always remember, there are people who cannot create what you can create, and that wish they could.
   

2. Gather Reviews
   
   Reach out to people you have created something for and ask them for feedback or a review of your work, how it made them feel, how it helped them, be sure to ask if they are ok with you sharing their review to the public as well.
   

3. Document Your Creations
   
   Keep track of what you make and how long it takes you to make each item, this will come in handy with pricing in the future. Take pictures of stages of your creative process while making things. Video yourself as you complete a few projects to have to use in the future on marketing and promotional videos.
   

4. Verbally Share Your Work
   
   Start talking to others more about what you enjoy creating and why. Make it a natural part of conversations that you have. The more natural you can be talking about your creations, will help you in the long run to be a natural sales person.
   

5. Post Your Work
   
   Start sharing your projects on social media platforms so that people can see that your creations are something that you are good at and experienced in. Even if you are not yet at the level where you consider yourself a pro, remember someone who is seeing your creations cannot do that. Having even a 10% edge, as experts say, over someone else gives you a measure of authority in your field or area of expertise. Always remember not to compare your chapter 1, with someone’s chapter 10!
   

6. Create a Business Name
   
   Even if your hobby turns into the smallest side gig that exists, it deserves to be called something! Your creations deserve their own identity. Having a name for something you sell, because that’s what you will be doing, makes it more legitimate and shows that you are serious about your craft.
   

7. Create a Shareable Portfolio
   
   This can be done in so many different ways, it can be as simple as creating a shareable Google word document that has pictures of your items and explains what they are in a neat way in order for others to get a glimpse of what you can do. It can also be a PDF document of multiple pages that showcases your work as an “e-book.” When your resources allow, having even a landing page, or a one page website, to allow people access to see your work, is even better. Do what you can at the stage you are at now!

Take your time to go through and complete each step to get the ball rolling on turning your hobby into a business. Always know I am here for any questions to help you along the way as well. We hobbyists have to stick together!

Until Next Time,
Amanda

P.S.
Let me know in the comments, which step do you find the most difficult for you to work on? Let me know if a more detailed blog post of that step would be helpful to you.

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