Do you want to convert your passion or skill into a business but not sure how to go about it?
We are living in an age where almost anyone can start a business and in any form. The investment no longer needs to be huge, nor does it need to feel like “work” a lot of the time.
When I was starting out trying to find a business idea I really struggled. I wish I had some sort of creative passion that I could convert into something I love. But I am certainly no creative – in the traditional sense of the word anyway! So I began to think of it in a different way – what sort of lifestyle did I want to to live?
Although I really enjoy my day job, it still involves clocking in the hours and no matter how productive or efficient I am within those hours I still get paid the same amount. I wanted something more. Something scale-able. I also wanted something where I could choose how many hours I worked and where I would do that work. I wanted something that I could get excited about!
I tried to force a number of ideas for blogs based around different interests I had at different times – health & wellness and parenting. But these just felt forced. It wasn’t the interest level that was the problem but the fact that my depth of knowledge was limited to a more surface level. It felt fake. If only there was a way I could convert what I was qualified in (and enjoyed doing) into a business. But how could I convert marketing into my own business that wasn’t about clocking in the hours as a consultant?
So I started searching and I found an online industry out there all about helping people grow their own businesses. This was my fit! It only took about 3 years to figure it out!
In the hopes of aiding someone else find their path, I’ve put together a table below of the types of business options there are out there. And you don’t need to just stick to one – you can mix and match to your hearts content.
As you can see there is a huge choice out there and you can apply almost all of these areas to anything! Here are a couple of examples:
If you are a Photographer:
– You can sell your product “Photos” online as stock photography or from your own site or you can sell it offline at galleries and exhibitions
– You can sell your photography services. Online as being commissioned for certain photos or offline for portraits or events.
– You can sell your knowledge about photography through an online blog or at offline classes
If you are Personal Trainer:
– You can sell your product “training programs” online via your own website or offline at the local gym.
– You can sell your services as a trainer online by creating custom training programs or skype training or offline for in person training.
– You can sell your knowledge online through YouTube training videos or a blog or offline in the form of a book or training other personal trainers.
If you are an Administrator:
– You can sell your product “admin templates” online or offline.
– You can sell your services as an assistant online as a virtual assistant or your bookkeeping services to local businesses.
– You can sell your knowledge about creating excellent presentations online through a blog or you can do some one-on-one business training offline.
Some of these may be a stretch to you, but my hope is that no matter what your passion or what you feel you can contribute to the world, you can find a way of delivering that to the world in a way that supports the lifestyle you wish to lead.
Google is definitely your friend on this one. Start searching to see what others are doing in your space – what can you do that will fill a gap in the market or perhaps just bring a service to your local area that isn’t currently there.
