Magnificent obsession

Your hobby can be turned into a rewarding profession. But it will take a lot of organisation and hard work.

Your hobby can be turned into a rewarding profession. But it will take a lot of organisation and hard work.

It is not all that difficult to turn a hobby into a profitable enterprise. Nor simple either. Making money, creating a business, or being a professional, never is. The fact that the business stems from a favourite past time does not necessarily imply that it can be viewed as a 'time pass' activity. In fact, you have to be extra careful and very professional, or no one will take you seriously.

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To begin with, set yourself a few ground rules. These are pretty much the same for the beginning of any enterprise:

I shall be regular

I shall be determined and resilient

I shall be organised and methodical

I shall be on the look out for new business, all the time

I shall pay attention to finance

Keep in mind that it is a hobby that you are turning into a business, and not the other way around.

Case study 1
Anita, a housewife, turned her hobby of baking into a profession. How did she go about doing it? She first sent out an introductory sales letter. She followed the letter up with regular direct mailers to prospective clients, listing the items on the menu. Her business was small in size initially, but big on quality. She paid personal attention to detail. She prioritised customer response. Follow-ups asked, "How was the experience?" She databased her customers' personal profiles and sent mailers before the right occasions. Result: she always had their 'birthday' or 'anniversary' cake order.

Organised suppliers. Opened a bank account. Stocked up on raw material — even fuel. Found ways of keeping costs down. Attended to packaging. Discarded slow moving items. Paid constant attention to pricing. Studied sales patterns.

Soon enough, Anita's pastime turned into a lucrative business.

Case study 2

KK, once an amateur photographer, is on a Rs 15,000 a day assignment. He is an industrial photographer and in great demand. This is how KK's passion turned into a profession:

KK took a course in photography. He discovered he related very strongly to lights, shadows and reflections. He also studied rudimentary chemistry. He gathered information on solutions and techniques from professional books and magazines. He wrote to raw stock companies and, when an expert held a seminar, KK knitted his eyebrows and concentrated. When he went home he thought and experimented. The Rs 15,000 a day has come after four years of 15-hour days. Yes, often seven days a week. But KK enjoys the work and the world of lights and cameras, speed and film and often makes friends with the people he works for. "It's still a hobby," he laughs.

KK has worked on his hobby the way Anita did. By being organised and methodical, keeping track of bottom-lines and where to pick up a bargain. So, have you got an assignment? Or an obsession that can be turned into an occupation?

Courtesy: JobsAhead.com