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4 Valuable Tips to Turn Your Hobby Into a Profitable Business
An attempt to turn your hobby into a job could lead to your stunning success or leave you without a penny in a pocket. Let's talk about which strategy to follow if you want to work the dream.
Create a portfolio of your dream
If you want to get interesting projects - polish your portfolio. When gathering all your experience to showcase, pick only those projects or works that you're proud of and personally like. This way you could filter out any unwanted project requests leaving more room for interesting things.
Don't Wait For Clients - Go For Them
Big adventures start with small steps. No matter how great your skills are - no one would give you a cent if you don't let the world get to know you. Be active, don't be afraid to show your expertise. Mention your skills everywhere where it is appropriate.
Speak to potentially interested people. For example, if you're an artist, try placing one of your works in local coffee-shop (this is a hyped trend nowadays).
Know Client's Expectations
When you're doing something not for yourself, you should set up boundaries in one way or another. In other words - verbally discuss terms of work and its amount.
If you plan doing something for money, you and your client should definitely know when you can consider work done. For example, in the world of art (or design), there is a term called "revisions", it is a round of alterations to the existing version. And in this case, a finite amount of revisions should be set, otherwise you may find yourself listening to new requests over and over again.
This approach helps maintaining warm working relationships and also scares off bad clients. Hence, before diving into working process, discuss everything as in-detail as possible. Preferably in a written form.
Be Ready For Changes!
It is important to understand: if you're doing something solely as a hobby, you are the main client of yourself. Doing work for somebody else, you encounter requirements and expectations of another person.
Don't be afraid that your "artistic life" will change its vector. Changes are not bad quite often. If you're used to accomplishing something in strictly determined way, this does not mean that your approach is 100% effective. True art is to be able to do different things without losing your true self.
© 2020 Arthur