Can you monetise your hobby?

As with most hobby enthusiasts, you likely have spent many hours developing unique skills to perfect your passion. However, have you considered getting paid for this effort as well?

We find out whether you can monetise your hobby, and we look at some tips to help you get started.

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Can you transform your hobby into a career?

According to Jarred Doyle, who’s successfully managed to turn a hobby into a lucrative living, the transition is certainly possible – especially in this day and age, with the rise of social media.

“I always had a passion for celebrity culture and reading about the latest trends. After studying finance at university, I realised that this was not what I wanted to do. Instead, I turned my hobby into a career,” says Doyle.

His company, JDC, has managed the publicity of some of the biggest names in South Africa, and they have now progressed into TV production.

“My hobby of hosting and presenting during my school days, and being a speaker, became my career, and I was the producer and presenter of my own TV show called Hashtags on ETV,” says Doyle.

Now that his hobby is his job, Doyle has had to find something else to keep him entertained during his free time. But, he adds, to this day, nothing gets his heart pumping faster than hosting a red carpet or doing a live interview. And he’s not done yet.

“My new hobby is writing,” he says. “I’m busy doing a few courses, so that I can get my short stories up to scratch. Perhaps it will become the second hobby I monetise,” says Doyle.

Tips on getting started

Doyle believes that the best way to monetise your hobby is to be authentic. For example, if you love being an online influencer, he says you should monetise this with sincere passion.

“Find your niche, and don’t be discouraged if you don’t get one million followers within three months. Have goals, but don’t let them confine you,” says Doyle.

He points out that people respond to consistency, and he recommends going forward with your hobby, even if it seems silly.

“TikTok has shown us that the simplest activities can go viral in a matter of seconds. This means that you can become the next big thing if you put your mind to it,” says Doyle.

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