Should You Turn Your Hobby Into A Business?

I have a lot of hobbies. They include a variety of things like playing pickleball, making groovy beats, showing off my bartender skills, and helping people make money online!

Sometimes the hobbies turn into a business. Dance was one of the first hobbies that I explored sharing with the world. I questioned if I could turn teaching people how to dance online into something profitable. Was it a good idea? Would it actually work out? Lucky for me, it did. But, that’s not always the case.

A while back I was really into slacklining. Its great for your balance is really fun if you ever get the chance to try it out. And so, I had my mind set on building a slacklining business. I bought my domain and was all ready to make millions when I realized that I wasn’t really that good at slacklining in the first place! Oh well. I faced the $14 loss and moved on to the next idea.

As I mentioned earlier, I also really enjoy pickleball. If you’ve never played pickleball, it’s a cross between badminton, table tennis, and tennis. I love the sport because I can play against my parents and lose! It’s made for all ages yet it’s still challenging and highly athletic. The idea came to mind of creating my own pickleball paddle. Together, my dad and I created vanpickleball.com and ended up selling hundreds of paddles! In fact, I actually saw a guy using the paddle we made one time while on a trip to Carlsbad. That experience was amazing!

So, should you start a business off of a hobby? In short, I think it’s a good idea! Starting with something familiar helps make the process less complicated. However, not every idea is going to be a home run.

It’s also important to note that not every hobby needs a return on investment. After all, the purpose of a hobby is to bring you joy, not money. To be honest, when my dad and I started the pickleball business, I couldn’t have cared less if we actually sold a paddle. I value the time we spent together way more than any dollar we made.

It’s easy to want to turn every hobby you have into a business. Once you start one, it’s hard to stop! But some hobbies should stay hobbies and that’s just how it is. If you want to make…