Hobbies to Hustles: A Guide for Teens
Source: Forbes
Being a teenager is the perfect time to explore your passions, find fun ways to enhance your skill set, and engage in activities you enjoy, especially after a tiresome school day. A great way to build upon your favorite pastime is to start thinking about how to transform it into something more than just a hobby. Whether you’re looking to earn some extra cash, build your skills, or even start your own business, turning hobbies into hustles is a smart way to do it. With the internet and social media, opportunities are everywhere and resources are at your feet, new data has found that 2 in 5 teenagers are actively earning money online in the US. This article is going to provide you with three key tips for teens who want to turn their favorite activities into a hustle.
1. Pick Something You’re Good At
Jobs can quickly turn into burdens if you do not enjoy them. So before jumpstarting your hustle, find something you love doing and are actually good at. The greater your proficiency in your chosen craft, the easier it will be to turn it into a hustle. Maybe you’re amazing at drawing, mentoring with schoolwork, or you love making cool videos. Whatever it is, start with something that feels natural to you and is a beacon of joy in your daily life.
While it’s great to have a passion, you also have to make sure there’s a market for it. This means finding out if others would pay for the products or services you’re offering. For example, if you’re great at editing videos, you can offer your editing skills to other people who make YouTube videos or need help managing their social media content. If you’re into crafts, you can make custom jewelry or paintings and sell them. Additionally, you can offer a service to your community, if you enjoy cutting hair, doing makeup, or working with nail designs, you can create a business serving local clients.
Look at what people are already doing in your space, and try to figure out how you can make your skillset stand out. Researching online can help you spot trends and see where you can add value to the ever-growing market of small businesses.
2. Creating a Platform
Social media is a great way to get your hustle noticed both online and in your local community. You don’t need to be an influencer to make money—just start posting your work on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube, and build an audience that appreciates your talents. Share your process, your results, or even behind-the-scenes clips of how you exercise your love for your chosen pastime.
Networking is one of the most important skills to build a community. You could reach out and collaborate with another individual with the same passion as you, or share your business with family and friends interested in investing. The more you interact with others who share your passion and post to your growing community of followers, the more attention your hustle will get.
Social media is an effective tool in modern day to promote any services you offer, like selling your art, offering lessons, or sharing your creations. Pamika Horsaengchai, founder of Sapiens Growth Marketing, says “Instagram is more than a tool for promotion; it’s a platform for building a community.” Whether you list your services on an Instagram page, create an Etsy shop, or an ad on Facebook Marketplace, the realm of the internet today is easily accessible for both sellers and buyers to indulge in things that ignite a passion within them. With reliable connections built across the internet, customers are more likely to promote your product or service and come back to buy more from your steadily growing empire.
3. Start Small and Keep Growing
Don’t worry about being perfect from the start—just take it one step at a time. Start by offering your service to friends or family. Once you get comfortable, you can expand to selling on websites like Etsy, or set up your own online store. The key is to keep it simple at first and believe in the process of trial and error, learn as you go, and improve over time.
As your hustle grows, you’ll learn what works best for your busy schedule and how to manage your time. It’s important to stay organized and keep track of how many people you are serving and how much profit you have made. This helps you stay on top of your hustle, know which areas you need to focus on next, and when to invest to better your hustle.
However, it is key to remember that you are learning and growing and to not expect instant success with your hustle. Studies show that while self-initiated productivity culture helps some teens stay motivated, the expectation of stellar results set by this constant comparison has now become a point of stress for young people. It is important to maintain your love for your hobby and enjoy the process of sharing your creations with a community of people that support you no matter how big or small. The key takeaways from your hustle should not be the profit, but rather the experience of finding a way to channel your passion to serve a community.
Turning your hobbies into hustles as a teen is achievable—and fun! By picking something that helps you indulge in joy, sharing it on social platforms, and starting small, you can start making money while doing what you love. So, what are you waiting for? Take that big leap and let your hobby lead you.