Turning Your DIY Hobby into Digital Merchandise

Turn your DIY hobby into a online business – here’s how!

Whether it’s crafting, knitting, restoring old furniture or something else – we all have some kind of passion or hobby. That one special thing that we would still do even if we didn’t have to work. It’s something we get genuine happiness from and puts meaning in our lives. Being able to use these passions to make money is the dream of every young child.

Photo: Edeprem.com

As the old adage goes, “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” While this isn’t exactly realistic for everyone, the select few who are bold enough to chase their passion can find themselves in a much happier existence.

A 2015 poll from Gallup found that only 34.1 percent of employees feel engaged in the workplace, which means that nearly 66 percent of people in the workforce are just trying to get through the day for the money. Ecommerce websites allow hobbyists to have their day jobs while also engaging their passions for profit.

Photo: Style at Home

Here are some tips to keep your passion project passionate and enjoyable while still benefitting financially.

Make Sure You’re Ready

Even though it is much easier to start an ecommerce business than a traditional brick-and-mortar store, you shouldn’t forget that it is still a huge responsibility. Jumping in before you are fully ready can be disastrous. You only get on shot at a launch, so make sure that you are ready to take your business online. Make sure your website is ready to synch up with your social media channels, your paid advertising campaigns are ready to engage and that you have enough supplies to support the number of projected orders.

Photo: LoveThisPic

Don’t Be Afraid of Outsourcing

It can be a politically-charged term, but outsourcing doesn’t always have the negative connotation with which it is sometimes associated. If you have plans to get as big as possible, you may need to outsource some aspects of the process, if for no other reason than to stay sane. Keeping a small operation selling handcrafted side-tables out of your garage may be manageable for awhile, but eventually if you want to sell furniture online, you’re going to have to invest in warehouse space.

Investing in off-site warehousing operations can free up a lot of the more tedious aspects of ecommerce, so you can focus on the bigger picture issues.

Use Social Media to Your Advantage

 In the 21^st century, you can’t run a successful marketing campaign without using social media to some degree. In fact, many modern marketers will agree that it’s one of the most important tools in their belt. There are more metrics and valuable data points to pull from social media than have ever been available before. You can interact directly with your audience and build a community around your brand. People view Twitter and Facebook as social networks, not as marketing machines. Because of that, people are more likely to listen to what you have to say instead of seeing it as just another commercial. This is especially good for new up-and-coming brands that don’t have the same recognition as bigger companies.

Don’t forget, when you’re just starting off, your own personal network is a great way to get your brand out there – friends and family are a great first resource!

The ultimate thing to take away from this article is to always remember to love what you do. If you lose the passion, you might be working too hard, which can take away the love you have for the project in the beginning.