If you’re one of the four million Baby Boomers that, according to the Social Security Administration, retire each year, you’ve probably puttered around in the garden, played a few rounds of golf, maybe even gone on that much dreamed of trip. Now, like a growing number of retirees, you have an urge to do something more meaningful with your time or just earn a little more income. Perhaps it’s time to explore a second act or encore career, where your experience, passion or hobby can become an enjoyable source of income and meaning. Here are a few suggestions for getting started.
Crafting Your Pastime into a Business
A hobby is a great place to start when looking for a second career because not only is it something you enjoy, but it’s also something you’re already familiar with.
If you are crafty and have been making jewelry or other crafts such as pottery, knitting, or needlework, you may have already thought about selling your handcrafted items just to pay for your hobby. Think bigger. You can turn your crafts into a home business and sell at local consignment shops, farmers markets, or if you’re technologically savvy, online. If you’re not up to creating a website and learning the ins and outs of digital marketing, using sites like Etsy, eBay, or Amazon, which all sell handmade items, will allow you to quickly set up a shop and shorten the learning curve. Another benefit of these sites is that you already have a community shopping there. There is a small fee for this convenience, but it will allow you to get started faster and focus on creating your products.
Are you always capturing every family event with your camera? If you have a decent camera and the ability to use photo-editing software, you could start a photography business. Some photographers specialize in portraits: focusing on milestones like graduations, engagements, births, or weddings. Maybe you like getting outdoors and capturing nature. In addition to selling prints of your landscapes directly, you can also sell to agencies where you receive royalties when they are used commercially.
What about making a business from those weekend woodworking projects? As you start out, it’s best to create smaller items to make it easier to transport or ship. Create furniture or other home décor items like wall art or sculptures and give them to friends and family to start word-of-mouth advertising for your business.
Capitalizing on Your Knowledge
You’ve spent years accumulating the skills and know-how related to your hobby, why not share it with others? Creating a workshop to do that not only provides a source of income, but you get to meet others who share your passion. If you’re familiar with Facebook, promoting your class through a post or ad on social media is an easy, effective, and inexpensive way to find interested students. Some fun examples of painting workshops in the area are the Wine & Watercolors or Sip & Paint classes. Taught by local artists, they are a popular way to combine the fun of sharing wine with friends while learning how to paint.
If speaking in front of a large group sounds too intimidating, think about teaching individual students or smaller groups. If you want to teach others how to play guitar, you could create an after-school program for kids or offer private lessons in your home. In addition to using social media to promote yourself, you can post flyers in local libraries or the YMCA to find students.
Another way to share your knowledge is by posting instructional videos on YouTube. You can create your own channel to share gardening advice or show how to make flower arrangements. In addition to sharing information, videos are a way for customers to find you, so tell them where your flowers are sold. You can also become a part of the YouTube Partner Program, which allows you to make money from ads posted on your channel. The YouTube Creator Academy is a great resource for how to create interesting videos and grow your audience.
Do you feel more comfortable writing rather than speaking? Maybe it’s time to start blogging about your cooking or baking hobby. There are numerous blogging platforms like Blogger or Tumblr that provide a space for you to publish your articles free of charge. Bloggers make money a couple of ways: through paid advertising space on their pages, or from commissions for selling products (their own or someone else’s). If you’ve been selling Pampered Chef products (more on that later), blogging would be a wonderful way to combine your love of writing about your hobby with the ability to generate sales from your audience.
A Passion for Service
When thinking up business opportunities related to your hobby, don’t limit yourself to products. There are plenty of services you can offer as well. Do you love to sew? How about creating an alteration business? People are always in need of someone to repair or alter clothing, especially related to special occasions. Try working with stores that sell formal wear, since prom and wedding dresses are typically altered to fit.
Perhaps your passion has always been for animals. Pet sitting, dog walking, training, and grooming are all great ways to combine your love of animals with running your own business.
What if you’ve spent many weekends restoring classic cars or boats? This is a hobby that requires a lot of space, tools, and equipment to turn into a business. Rather than try to be a one-stop shop, specializing in engines, bodywork, painting, or interiors would reduce your investment. You can find customers by networking at car rallies, boat shows, or local repair shops -- places where you are probably spending time anyway.
Sometimes you get enjoyment just by helping others. Who hasn’t wished for help in getting errands or shopping done? This is especially true for older folks who are not driving anymore. As a personal assistant, you can offer services like light housekeeping, shopping, or transportation to appointments. As a tutor, you can help students with subjects you are particularly interested in, like history. Work through teachers and guidance counselors at local schools or post flyers at local libraries to find students who need help.
Should your Hobby Stay a Hobby?
You should think carefully before turning your hobby into a business. Hobbies are leisurely paced — you work on them when you want to. Once you turn a hobby into a business, you need to invest more time, which may mean working when you don’t really feel like it. Will that change how you feel about an activity you love doing?
Keeping your hobby a hobby doesn’t mean you can’t start a home business relatively easily. Selling products from a multi-level, direct-selling company like Avon, or newer product lines like Rodan+Fields, Pampered Chef or LuLaRoe, provides an opportunity to earn through commission sales. There is an investment for product samples, but you run it like your own business, selling directly to customers and finding people to host “pop-up” stores in their homes or virtually on Facebook. In addition to commissions, typically you get products at a discount, or even free, if you run successful events, so choosing a product line you really like is essential.
There are many opportunities out there; so take the chance to pursue your passions. As writer C.S. Lewis once said, “You are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.”