If your child has just started school, you may be considering getting back into the workplace. Starting your own business is the ultimate solution – it lets you do something you love and gives you total freedom when it comes to looking after your children. Using your existing hobby or even taking up a new one that will make you money means you’ll enjoy your work. But sometimes it’s difficult to determine whether your hobby will work as a viable business, so check out this list of profitable hobbies that you can do from the comfort of your own home.
Cake decorating
If you have a flair for baking then you could easily turn this hobby into a business. Everybody enjoys a slice of cake, and you could find yourself making children’s birthday cakes, cute cupcakes or elaborate wedding pieces. You’ll probably find you already have the basic materials such as cake tins and mixing bowls, but it might be worth buying raw materials such as flour, sugar and butter in bulk, and investing in more professional tools such as cake smoothers (for getting a quality icing finish on your cakes) and piping tools for more detailed work. You’ll also be able to charge more for more elaborate cakes, so this can be a real money maker.
Place your work on a cake board and adorn with a beautiful ribbon and package your creations in beautiful boxes adorned with quality labels, such as those from AA Labels, and you’ll have created a beautiful product that people will keep coming back for.
Jewellery maker
If you love jewellery and have a creative streak, you might consider setting up your own jewellery making business. It’s easy to get started with this as many suppliers offer raw materials such as chains and gemstones in bulk. You don’t need to spend a fortune on tools either, with many starter kits providing everything you’ll need.
Create a business name and logo and you’ll be ready to put your brand on the internet. Use a marketplace like Etsy to sell your goods and you could earn a tidy profit. Jewellery making can be very lucrative as the raw materials are often very cheap versus the prices you can charge for your hand-made goods.
Stationery
If you’re one of these people who have a hoard of beautiful notebooks then you’re probably not alone. You could combine your artistic talent with a passion for stationery and create your own line of gift cards and wedding invitations. You might even consider branching out into book binding to create your own range of notebooks. Consider what you look for in stationery as a parent – a reliable shopping list or diary to keep in your handbag – and you might stumble upon a profitable niche.
Other ideas
All of these ideas are potentially very lucrative, but it doesn’t stop there. You might have a passion for fashion and be a whizz on the sewing machine, so why not price up some materials and create your own clothes or handbags? If you enjoy food but there isn’t a great demand in your local area, you could sell your creations, such as homemade jams and sweets on the internet. If you’re not sure whether your hobby could be profitable, see if others are selling similar items online. Using reviews can be a great way of seeing if your product’s in demand.
Successful businesses that started from home
If you’re looking for inspiration or aren’t sure whether you should take the leap of starting your own business, check out these success stories that may change your mind.
Cambridge Satchel Company
Mum Julie Deane founded her handbag business in her kitchen in 2008, and since then her creations have found their way onto the arms of celebrities. Starting with a budget of just £600, Julie found a leather supplier and began working on her product. After getting her brand online, she reached out to fashion bloggers which resulted in attention from Elle Magazine. She’s since achieved Stateside success with her bags being snapped up by retailers Bloomingdales and Saks.
Carissa Rose
In 2008, mum Carissa Brown founded her clothing line in between homeschooling her children. By targeting a market that struggled to find quality products elsewhere, Carissa has shown the power of tapping into a niche. Carissa’s line of plus size ladieswear has seen her business go from strength to strength.
Pamela Love
Pamela’s jewellery has been featured in top fashion magazines Elle and Vogue, and all this began when as a teenager she enjoyed fashioning bracelets from toothbrushes by heating and bending the plastic into cuffs. From a small start, her hobby has since earned her millions.
Darn Good Yarn
Nicole Snow’s passions have always been art and helping others. After finding a silk yarn supplier, she decided to create Darn Good Yarn, a fiber importer and retailer. Not only did she use the yarn and her knitting ability to make her own colourful creations, she worked with others to refine the yarn and help other crafters by providing quality raw materials. Nicole’s efforts have seen her business grow from a modest single employee to over 300 women, and over 4.5 years, her business has grown by a whopping 2900%!
What all of these businesses have in common is a determined and powerful individual striving to create a solid brand. By using their hobbies and passions they have proved that success is possible from a modest start in their homes. Now you know what hobbies can make the most money, all that’s left to do is to create your product, slap on a high quality label and send it out to the world!
