How to go from hobby to home-based business

Have you been thinking about taking your painting hobby to a home-based business? 

Maybe it’s something that has been on your mind for quite some time now..

Or maybe you have wanted to attempt to do this for years but your stuck on the HOW…

Well then my friends, this is the post for you!

Before you dive into it - let me first address the elephant in the room and something I’ve had many students ask me: how do you know your work is good enough to sell? 

This is a great question and I know how scary it can be to share your work - it’s like showing a piece of your soul for others to see and dissect.  It can be intimidating. But, this is a crucial step in getting ready to sell your work. Once you get over the fear of showing your work (you can do it!) that is when you can really get some feedback and understand what your potential customers want. 

When you get feedback, listen to it, take it in.  Are there designs that get more love than others?  Your followers, friends, family will give you feedback to help you determine if your work is good enough to sell.

If you want to be more active with deciding if your work is good enough to sell.  Actively ask people who you admire and whose opinion you trust, for a critique or feedback! Don’t be shy about reaching out to people.  We have a natural instinct to help.

Starting a home-based business doesn’t have to be daunting, or a big undertaking.  Sometimes it’s as easy as sharing a social media post and letting people know they can buy your stuff! 

So when is the right time to switch from hobby to home-based business? 

While I can’t tell you the exact right time to do - no one can - I can tell you when I decided to make the shift. 

20 years ago I wasn’t ready.  12 years ago I was kind of ready.  8 years ago, I was ready.  I was ready to try.  I was ready for change.  I was ready to disprove the statement “starving artist”.  I was ready to make money doing what I loved.  I was ready to paint and make art and share them with the public.  I was ready to try and learn and see what happened!

Before you shift to a home-base business that these things are also important to take into consideration: 

• Do you have more confidence in your work now? 

• Have you spent the time to learn, experiment and practise your craft? 

• Are you excited by the idea of making money from your craft? 

If you said “YES!” to all of these then you are likely on the right track. 

In my podcast episode, “Going from Hobby to Home-Based Business”, I share with you what it’s like working for a client who just paid you! 

So if you are at a point in your art where you are toying with the idea of going from hobby to home-based business, I say go for it!! You really have nothing to lose and everything to gain. 

There’s low risk, your start-up costs can be minimal if done right, you can use your already existing social media to start promoting your work and in this day of age of technology and connection all over the world, you have unlimited means to create multiple streams of income from one piece of artwork!  I’ll expand on that in another episode!

Not to mention, when you work from home, you have the freedom to work around your schedule, in your pjs if you want to, and control how you want to design your business!  

There are lots of behind-the-scenes stuff around starting a home-based business, but take baby steps and feel out what that transition from hobby to business looks like for you. Do research, take classes, join groups, and learn what a home-based business looks like for you.  

And remember you can always pivot, change direction, and even make a different type of art!

As long as you are enjoying the process and having fun with what you are creating, all the businessney-stuff will come.  Even on the days when it feels hard or challenging, you always have your art to uplift you and light a fire under you to do more of what you love.

So if you are wondering about making the shift from hobby to home-based business and are curious about what that process looks like, I want to hear! Send me an email, comment on my podcast page, send me a dm whatever! Just let me know what questions you have and I’ll come back to this topic again and dive deeper into the process!