Comments on: Getting Paid to Do What you Love: A Close Look at Marketable Hobbies

By: andyzarkovich

andyzarkovich — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:07:38 +0000

Great Idea and Article… People love to hear about this kind of stuff but rarely act on it. I had a friend recently quit his job to be a professional fisherman… Just goes to show that if you pursue something long enough and are smart and open minded, opportunities can and will happen!

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:47:44 +0000

I’m actually getting paid for doing what I love doing, but the downside is that, since it’s just a hobby, there’s a time I get bored. … yes it’s a hobby, I don’t get bored doing it, but I get bored that sometimes I’m looking for a challenging ones, those that I continuously learn from.

This article though made me think of another idea to market a new service which I love to do and could be challenging as well. Thanks.

By: mark@vendingarticles.net

mark@vendingarticles.net — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 05:50:14 +0000

Great post! When I worked in the office years ago I was given the charge of keeping the vending machine stocked. It became a hobby with me which I really enjoyed as a part of my work responsiblities.

I eventually bought my own vending machine company with over 3100 bulk vending machines. Even though I work a lot in the business, because it still feels like a hobby, it still doesn’t seem like work most of the time. The business has been a blessing in many many ways and we are quickly paying down business / personal debt.

By: Early Retirement Extreme

Early Retirement Extreme — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:41:29 +0000

One thing though is that anything one does with a passion in small amounts can become a real drag if one needs to do it enough to actually make a living doing it.

And if one hates marketing or selling in whatever form that takes, associating it with one’s passion might just kill the passion.

The best solution I have found is to become financially independent and thus not have to worry about passions actually paying out. Any income will then be incidental.

By: BIFS

BIFS — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:07:15 +0000

I haven’t pursued any of my hobbies for money yet, but my husband is a sports official for the fun of it…it’s not a full time job, but he loves it and makes a few thousand a year.

What kind of things have you paid others to do that you could have done for yourself?

1. Maid Service – $45 biweekly to clean our bottom floor.
2. Lawn Service – $25 biweekly from April-November including weeding.
3. Car care – $20 for an oil change…countless for everything else.
4. CPA for taxes – $320 to file five schedules for us.
5. Car wash – $5-$10.

My husband and I save about 40% of our income for our future, so we feel fine with “outsourcing” the stuff we don’t enjoy.

By: Steven

Steven — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 21:32:45 +0000

Another one to really make you think. You definitely make some great points. I’ve always kind of been on the fence about pursuing this thinking that it’s unrealistic. But that’s just fear inside my head. You’re right, people get paid all the time for doing these kinds of things. And if you’re passionate about what you do, that kind of takes care of the selling aspect. Enthusiasm is infectious, after all. Great piece.