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Let's be real here - almost everyone's got a passion or a hobby. Something fun they do on the side to take their mind off of real life problems, or just something they do because they find it fun.
Another true fact? While a lot of us have hobbies, a lot of us don't realize those hobbies can be working for us and actually making us money. Whether you love to cook, make jewellery, paint or simply like reviewing things... chances are, there's a way for you to keep enjoying your passion and make some extra cash while you're at it!
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Whatever you love to do, making money doing something you love is totally possible as long as you know how to use social media and website tools to brand yourself the right way. Creating a personal website can give you a digital space to showcase yourself. Thankfully, in 2018, not only is this possible but it's super easy to do - especially when there are so many resources available to you. (Pro tip: .CA has an awesome ebook on their Digital Me platform that explains all about building up your personal branding called Digital Me: Personal Branding In The Social Media Age).
Want to know how to plunge into the world of monetizing your hobby? Here are 11 ways to get you started!
Turn Your Obsession With Writing Reviews Into A Blog
Love reviewing restaurants online? Are you a Local Guide on Google Reviews? Yup, you guessed it - there are ways to turn those hobbies into money, too! And, protip: if you're able to grow your audience on social media, you can convert those followers to potential readers who are actually interested in reading your blog. And with a little bit of hard work and determination, you’ll be able to monetize your blog and brands will eventually start paying you to feature them on your website!
If you are looking to start your own blog or even your own website, then consider going with a .CA domain name instead of a .com. Not only is the .CA domain name, proudly Canadian (and I mean, don’t you want to flaunt that?), but 62% of Canadians say they prefer to shop at or visit Canadian websites. Which means that if you’ve got a large Canadian following/readers, they’ll be proud to know you’re using a .CA domain name - and if you're a little apprehensive about getting started, don't be. Digital Me's got an ebook that's a super key source to help you build your website, personal brand and a whole lot more!
Turn Your Love Of Cooking Into A Meal Prep Service
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If you love to cook, why not turn your passion into a money making machine? There are a lot of people out there that don’t necessarily love to cook, and those that do, might not have the time to actually prepare a meal.
And that’s where you come in. You can actually cook for other people, prep their meals for the week, and deliver it to them all for a set price! For added exposure (AKA, $) set up a website and social media account to display your meals and prices, and watch the requests roll in!
Turn Your Photography Passion Into A Masterclass
Are you always getting compliments on your pictures? Is your Insta feed lit? Do you wake up early and scour the city just to get that perfect shot? If you're a definite photogrophy lover, there are actually tons of ways for you to leverage your life's passion into real cash.
If you’re into photography and use Lightroom on a daily basis, why not try selling your presets online? This is actually something that is already being done right now and it is such an easy way to make a little bit of extra cash on the side. Take Canadian lifestyle influencer Ana Cruz as an example - Ana's actually monetizing her photo editing skills and selling her own Lightroom presets through her personal website/blog withlovecruz.ca!
Or, if you're more of a hands-on type of person, you could even set up your own workshop or class and actually teach others how to turn their own Instagram feeds into pure fire! If you brand yourself right, the possibilities to make money from something you legit love are endless!
Turn Your Flair For Style Into A Legit Lookbook
@leevosburghTruth time: tons of people are into fashion. And why not? Fashion is one of the best ways to express yourself - but you don't have to be stuck just beefing up your closet and impressing your classmates/coworkers. You could actually make bank - or at least score yourself some free clothes, if you can market yourself well!
If you serve lewks on the daily, then why not start compiling your favourite outfits into a lookbook or style guide? You can feature it on Instagram, YouTube, or even your own personal website - from there, you can continue to build a following for people who share in your interest for fashion and even get the attention of certain brands. With a little bit of continued dedication, brands might even request to be featured on your feed, your site, or even your next lookbook. The sky's the limit here!
A perfect example of this is Canadian fashion influencer Lee Vosburgh, whose blog stylebee.ca features tons of trendy looks, tips and a whole lot more to help people reach their full fashion potential! (PS: Vosburgh is also responsible for the super viral 10x10 challenge, which has been taking Instagram by storm!).
Turn Your Baking Skills Into An Online Bakery
Crushing that homebaked cookie life? Are your cupcakes actually works of art? Do people call on you to supply their birthday cakes instead of actual bakeries? Well, in that case, you might want to think about monetizing your baked goods, friend.
Sure, the traditional route of baking in batches and trying to supply to stores is an alright approach. But this is 2018. We need better than alright! Promoting your baked goods online is a surefire way to get people interested in purchasing your tasty, tasty works of art; and starting your own online bakery (where people can order through the internet) is a surefire way to make some extra cash!
Turn Your Quirky Writing Style Into An Ebook
True talk: getting a book published IRL can be super, super overwhelming and difficult. But getting it published online? That's kind of a breeze. You can write your own non-fiction or fiction book and sell it through platforms like Amazon.ca - or if writing isn't actually your main love, you can go completley wild and write about your actual hobby.
For example, if you're obsessed with vegan food on the side, write your own vegan cookbook; if interior design makes you swoon, create your own curated picturebook. If you prefer, you can even create an e-magazine and sell it from your own website - the possibilities are literally limitless!
Turn Your Fitness Foray Into A Lifestyle Guide
@ownitbabeIf you've got a passion for fitness - and let's be honest, who doesn't? - then the good news is you can actually share your passion with others and make some money doing it, too!
For example, it could be super fun to create a few exercise and/or nutrition plans and sell them online; or even become an online coach to a few clients. Imagine helping motivate people to get fit - or hey, even teaching a virtual yoga class! - all from the comfort of your own home!
Take fitness influencer Rini Frey as an example. This super passionate influencer not only motivates and inspires people through her Instagram account, but through her blog ownitbabe.ca as well - where she offers private coaching, tips, recipes, support and more!
Turn Your Makeup Obsession Into A Makeover Extravaganza
@krishkreationsIf your life revolves around finding the perfect Kylie Lip Kit shade, cut creasing like a champ, scouting dupes like there's no tomorrow and keeping up with every single makeup innovation you can possibly find, then makeup just might be your obsession.
Which is super cool - because as I'm sure we all know, makeup skills are pretty much amazing to have. You can start sharing your passion by making over friends and family and showcasing those looks on your social media pages, which is the perfect opportunity to lead your audience back to your very own website. From there, you can showcase a wider variety of looks and potential clients can get a good idea of your work; you can control exactly what you want displayed and when; people can easily get in touch with you and find out your prices; and you can actually start becoming an MUA for people you don't know. Money and fun all in one? Um, yes please!
Turn Your Instagram Into An Online Shop For Your Handmade Goods
Maybe you're looking to showcase and sell your paintings online; maybe you make organic soap and beauty products on the side; maybe you make handmade jewellery and you want to show your babies to the world. Either way, a great way to gain exposure and make some money is to turn your Instagram feed into your own personal shop.
Creating an online shop is a great way to generate some extra income. You can display all of your work right from your Instagram, share it with your friends and followers, and start selling online... plus, you can even link to your website right from your Insta page for even more exposure.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, opt-in for a .CA domain name for your site. Not only does having your own website let you own your presence and control your brand exactly how you want to, but research also shows that Canadians prefer to buy from websites with a .CA domain name. It's easier to find the perfect domain name with .CA, and it shows you're proudly Canadian, which can even lead to more sales.
Turn Your Knowledge Of Languages Into An E-Class
Whether your talents lie in becoming an expert in almost every language known to man, your knitting talents are unparallelled, or your creative writing skills are through the roof, there are people out there dying to learn from the best and hone their skills as thoroughly as you have.
Which means you can curate all your skills, create an electronic “class” and sell it online! Teach someone to love the French language as thoroughly as you do; teach someone to literally create their own outfits from scratch - if you have the imagination, the skill and the passion, the sky's the limit!
Turn Your Social Media Addiction Into A Business
Social media is one of the best tools out there for marketing your service or product. Not only can you reach a large number of people, you can also see what your competitors are doing and get an understanding of how your audience behaves. You can also turn those followers into potential customers.
So it only makes sense that most of us are a little bit too into social media. Which is fine! Even if you count perusing Instagram and posting on Facebook as a hobby - well, there's a potential for you to monetize that, too! Creating your own branding agency, social media strategy business or PR agency are all totally valid ways to turn your social media passion into a side-hustle. And if you use your own social media to your advantage, landing clients and getting paid will probably be almost too easy.
No matter what your hobby is, there is always a way to make money, especially online where you can sell anything and everything. The Digital Me ebook is an amazing resource to help you on building your own personal brand/website in today's social media-based world - which will get you one step closer to making money from your passion.
And PS: only Canadians and Canadian companies can rock a .CA domain name, which means you can show off your Canadian pride in a super practical way! As an added bonus, .CA domain names are preffered by shoppers, in addition to being proudly Canadian!
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Whether you’re starting your very first blog or launching your own website, identifying as a Canadian brand with a .CA domain name lets you take control of your digital identity. Not only that but .CA domain names are all safe, secure, trusted and are more likely to be available!
And if you don’t know where to start, check out .CA's ‘Digital Me’ program online where you can learn about how to build your personal brand, how to thrive in the gig economy and discover tips and tricks on how to maximize your online presence.
