Get Paid With These 12 Hobbies That Make Money

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In the daily minutiae of grinding for every dollar you earn, sometimes focusing on a small passion project or fun hobby can be where you truly financially flourish.

Start Making Money With These 12 Hobbies

Earning money on the side from your hobbies is a nice way to make some passive income. Get ready to bust out some social media management and hit the flea markets and thrift stores, because here are 12 hobbies that can make you money.

1. Candle making
2. Soap making
3. NFT artist
4. Fiverr artist
5. Baker
6. Running coach
7. Crocheting or knitting
8. Gardening or landscaping
9. Hand-lettering
10. Photography
11. Antiquing 
12. YouTube channel

1. Candle Making

The demand for candles is constantly rising, with people giving them as gifts, and using them in their homes, businesses and Airbnbs. To stand out from the crowd with your candle making, you can try using fun scent combinations and unique molds or containers. 

“I’ve noticed that there’s a huge draw for candles that have pop culture-inspired scents or book-inspired scents,” said Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.

“If this is something that you’re already into, then the odds are good that you’ve already purchased some of the necessary materials. Use what you have to start small and try tapping into one of these markets to start a side hustle.”

2. Soap Making

Bar soap is fairly easy to make and it’s eco-friendly, which is a huge focus for many these days. Soap making is also very profitable — single soap bars on Etsy can sell anywhere from $3.50 to $9.27.

“Much like candle making, soap making is something that some crafters are turning to because they find it soothing to do, and they have a great product to use or gift when they’re done,” Ramhold said.

“Again, if you have some supplies on hand, start small and do some testing with friends and family — get feedback on the scents and designs so that you can create a small inventory to try selling at first before going all-in.”

3. NFT Artist

If you enjoy making digital art, creating NFTs might be right up your alley. While you’re certainly not guaranteed to make money rendering NFT art, some lucky creators have raked in fortunes. In March, CNBC profiled an artist who made $738,000 in a half-hour selling NFTs.

R.J. Weiss, founder of The Ways To Wealth, said “There’s a wide range of NFTs that can be created, from simple logos to 3D renders and even real estate in virtual worlds. Being the first artist to create an NFT in a certain niche, such as a new blockchain-based game or metaverse, can be very profitable for the artist. It’s also a great chance to learn and get paid for a very exciting new technology.”

4. Fiverr Artist

Fiverr is a platform where individuals and businesses can shop for services. If you have a skill, like graphic design, website development or writing, you can list your service as a gig.

“Fiverr allows people to offer their services, or ‘gigs’ starting at $5 each,” Weiss said. “What’s unique about Fiverr is that many of the top sellers are able to scale their businesses and earn a full-time income by offering their freelance services.”

“While many freelancers see it as a low-value platform, the top sellers have successfully positioned their service offerings in a way that makes them a high-value option for buyers. So, instead of $5, they may be selling illustrations, designs, voiceovers and more for $100-plus.”

5. Baking

If you enjoy baking for your friends or family, you can turn your skills into a lucrative business. Start small by offering your bakes at parties, farmer’s markets and local events in your community.

Social media will be a big part of your success with this side hustle. Make sure you take pictures of your bakes and provide ample business cards when you drop off your products so it is easy for people to recommend you to others.

If your business gets big enough, you can even expand to YouTube videos or self-publish a cookbook of your recipes.

6. Running Coach

Do you love running and exercising? If you do, a running coach might be an easy side gig for you to do.

“Communicating your experience to newer runners may be rewarding, as some tips can save them from unnecessary injuries and help them to become better athletes,” said Julian B of UpbeatRun.

“Running coaches are not reserved only for elite athletes. Anyone, from beginners to experienced runners, needs guidance to achieve their goals.”

7. Crocheting or Knitting

The easiest way to make money from your crocheting or knitting hobby is by creating and selling your patterns on sites like Etsy or your own website. You can also list any finished projects online or even at a farmer’s market locally.

“Plenty of bloggers create patterns and videos to help new crafters and then sell those ad-free PDFs for a few bucks on their blog or Etsy,” Ramhold said.

8. Gardening or Landscaping

Gardening as a side hustle can be very profitable but it does require hard work and time.

“One can get started by doing work on their own house, or those of their friends, family or neighbors. Take before and after shots of the completed work and then post ads for free on low-cost places such as Craigslist to get the word out,” said Melanie Hartmann, owner of Creo Home Buyers.

9. Hand-Lettering

Mastering hand-lettering takes a lot of time and determination. If you have a good grip on this hobby, you can make money off of it in a number of ways.

“Not only can you create pieces of art that can then be sold, but you can even create how-tos on hand-lettering so that those who are interested in learning could do so,” Ramhold said.

“Sell these how-tos in the form of sheets or even consider creating courses on platforms like Craftsy — or you can sell them on your own platform — as well.”

10. Photography

When starting a photography business, you should work on building your portfolio so you can show potential clients. Quick sessions with friends and family can help, even for one or two shots. Once you have samples to show, you can start marketing yourself in your community and to local vendors.

To start profiting from photography, Alicia Ho, photographer and founder of Precious Ones Photography, recommends offering sessions in client homes or conducting outside sessions to keep your costs low.

“If you prefer still photography or nature portraits, you can sell images to stock photo websites and make money that way,” Ho said.

11. Antiquing

If you like going to estate sales and thrift stores, you can start picking up an extra piece or two to list for money. You can take all your finds to local flea markets or even list them on an online storefront, just make sure you factor in packaging and shipping costs.

“Because they’re one-offs, you don’t have to worry about refilling inventory since what you sell will be pretty much one-and-done,” Ramhold said.

12. Start a YouTube Channel

If you have a hobby that you enjoy doing, you should consider making YouTube videos to teach your skills to others.

“From fishing and carpentry to sewing, sourdough bread baking and gardening, there are endless examples of successful creators teaching their hobbies to others. Some even go on to create full-time businesses beyond YouTube all based on their hobby,” Weiss said.

Final Take

An ideal way to accomplish a bit of self-care is to partake in a hobby. Hobbies are purposeful activities that can help lower stress and lift your mood, among other health benefits. It can be more than just playing video games, it can turn what you do in your spare time into some legitimate spare change. 

If you commit to your hobbies you can turn a profit. So, if you’re on the fence about taking the time to take up a craft for the sake of your health alone, consider doing it for the money it could make you. 

Caitlyn Moorhead and Elizabeth Constantineau contributed to the reporting for this article.

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