How many times have you actually heard someone complain about how their money-earning goings-on interfere with their hobbies? Surely, you�ve got that buddy who wishes he could go fishing all his life but is stuck with his job at this accounting firm. Or maybe you have met one youngster behind the cash register who has always wanted to be a professional skateboard rider. Or maybe, just maybe you�ve found you whining to yourself how your eight-hour workday deprives you from spending some quality time upgrading your ride.
We need to earn money to survive, but that doesn�t mean we should deprive ourselves pleasure just because our needs and our wants don�t seem to get along. But that�s a thing of yesterday folks. I am confident in telling you that you can actually earn some good cash while enjoying your hobby.
Let me share my personal experience.
Well, I�ve been with this sales company for almost eight years now, dealing with clients, delivering presentations, promoting products, the usual corporate stuff, but my true passion is cooking. When in the office, I would usually crave for that moment when I can finally log out and bond with my kitchen. I could not really say that I�m an expert in cooking but I guess if you love what you do, you really make a difference.
So whenever I�m a bit stressed with work, I�d relax by cooking, most especially during weekends- this is my kind of spa. I�d usually set aside a part of what I cook and bring them to the office the following working day and have my officemates taste my dishes. I�d usually get good feedback from them, inspiring me to pursue cooking even more, but of course, I also see to eat that my job doesn�t get left out.
The turning point was when one of my officemates was celebrating her birthday and she requested if I could cook maybe two dishes to be shared with everyone at work. As though it was a reflex, I automatically said yes. Well, modesty set aside, everyone loved what I prepared and my officemate paid me a good sum. After that, orders came after another. Until eventually I found myself having a �small scale� catering services exclusive to my officemates. They�d usually request for a dish or two for a special dinner, a cake for a family member�s birthday, or a casserole dish just to satisfy their cravings. And I, being an aspiring �small scale� chef would gladly take their orders.
So far, everything has been going really well. I didn�t neglect my job, and I also did not deprive myself from doing what I take pleasure in. I get a salary from being and employee and I also earn from cooking.
I guess what I really wanted to deliver is that your passion can actually be your business or your means to earn money for that matter. Entrepreneurship doesn�t really have to start big. And I guess starting small, from what you really love doing makes a huge difference and before you know it, it�s already a full-blown business. If you�re into cars for example, maybe you can open a garage that�s specializes on customization. You can have people there during weekdays while you work and you become more hands-on during weekends. If you love reading books, you can buy all the books that you�ve been dying to read and after reading them, you can sell them online or maybe create a mini library where book enthusiasts could stop by and take a look at what you have in store for them.
You see, it�s very much possible that our needs and wants need not be contradictory. In fact, it is very much to our advantage if they complement each other.
So if you�re thinking of earning extra cash, better invest on something you love. And see how it grows.
The author is a half sales supervisor-have chef. Or maybe 40-60.Have a taste of her articles on passionate entrepreneurship at essayjedi.com.
