Hear Jane Roar! » hobbies to successful careers

From Hobbies to Careers – 5 Ideas for Turning a Hobby Into a Successful Business

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 15:55:20 +0000

Many successful female entrepreneurs start with a hobby and end up with a career – they were just doing what comes naturally! Here are five examples of women who were doing what they love, and who turned their hobbies into money-making enterprises.

First, a quotation from successful businesswoman Martha Stewart:

“Without an open-minded mind, you can never be a great success.”

Since your thoughts turn into reality, remember to focus on ideas that strengthen, uplift, and inspire you — and be open to new possibilities and opportunities! For help starting a homebased business, click Start and Run A Business From Home: How to Turn Your Hobby or Interest Into a Business. And, read on for five hobby ideas that became careers…

5 Female Entrepreneurs Who Turned Their Hobbies Into Into Careers

Do you already have a business idea or hobby you love? Read For Female Entrepreneurs – Martha Stewart’s 10 Rules for Starting a Business for tips.

1. More than a biker chick: a published author. Babs Ryan started the Chicago Motorcycle Meetup four years ago. ”I’m a 49-year-old woman who turned my hobby into a job, and then back into a hobby again,” she says. “I started riding motorcycles at age 21 in grad school for fun, on a trail bike riding in the desert in Arizona. I became the chief marketing officer at Kawasaki in the UK; two years ago, I started a motorcycle club in Chicago called Chicago Motorcycle Meetup. It grew to 180 members in three months. I’m still riding, but I had to hand over managing the club to someone else because my business book, America’s Corporate Brain Drain, was published and I needed more time for marketing.”

2. Leaping into the wild unknown. Tai Kuncio, founder of Absolute Adventures, Inc, says, “My business partner and I have been running Absolute Adventures, Inc for almost nine years now. We started the business because we both love being active in the outdoors and wanted to take that passion and turn it into a way of making a living. Our company offers fun outdoor events on the weekends, ranging from kayaking to hiking to sky diving. We actually get paid to do all the fun things we’d be doing anyway! We also offer a wide variety of unique team building events to corporations all over Northern California, ranging from high-tech scavenger hunts to sailing regattas to culinary events.”

3. “Wining” her way to success – and writing a book. ”I turned my love of unwinding with a great glass of wine into a career,” says The Wine Coach® Laurie Forster. “With the help of my life coach, I left the corporate world years ago in search of a career that I could be passionate about. Now as The Wine Coach®, I blend my training as a professional sommelier with my experience as a life coach to help people connect to wine, each other, and the things that bring them joy. I wrote my first book, The Sipping Point: A Crash Course in Wine.”

4. Making jewelry out of science. Raven Hanna, PhD, started Made With Molecules. She says, “My hobby has become my career – and now I need a new hobby! Working as a scientist and science communicator, I was always making crafts on the side. After many comments from friends and strangers that I should sell my serotonin necklace and other molecule-inspired jewelry, I started Made With Molecules. I never imagined that it would be so successful. It’s now my full time job, and I love it!” Marrying science and artistic creation is a great hobby idea that can become a successful business – if you have an open mind.

5. Greening the baby’s food. Connie Pope, co-owner of Jack’s Harvest, explains how she became a female entrepreneur: “My good friend Heather Schoenrock loves to cook and has always made organic baby food for her children. She had her third child, son Jack, around the same time I had my second son, Avery. I don’t even like to cook dinner so I wasn’t making my own baby food, but I wanted Avery to have the healthiest food possible. Since Heather was already making her amazing food for Jack, I offered to pay her to make Avery’s food too. One thing lead to another and three years ago we launched Jack’s Harvest!”

For more ideas, read Turning Hobbies Into Homebased Businesses – Stories From Female Entrepreneurs.

Do you have a hobby you love — and can you see yourself making money from it? I welcome your comments below!

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How to Start a New Career – Suze Orman

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 15:13:46 +0000

Are you a woman who wants to go back to school, get a new job, or otherwise change your career? You can quit a job you’re tired of and change your path! This career advice is inspired by Suze Orman, who encourages women to find work they love — even if it means going back to school or taking a low-paying job.

But, getting another diploma, degree or certificate isn’t the solution in all situations…

“Going back to school makes sense only if it is a necessary step in a well-conceived career change,” writes Orman in The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke. “Otherwise, it’s just a bad excuse to get out of a situation that isn’t working for you.”

For more solid money and career advice, click The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke by Suze Orman. And, read on for tips on successfully changing careers, some of which are based on her book…

How to Successfully Change Careers – Suze Orman

Think career, not short-term job. When I first started freelance writing (I’m The Adventurous Writer), my husband kept talking about my “writing career.” That freaked me out at first, but then I began to think about my writing that way…as a career, not just a dream, goal, or way to pay the bills. It changed how I organize my workday, what I focus on, and what types of magazine assignments I accept.

Learn how to cope with failure – and build your resilience. Successful women fail a lot – and they bounce back a lot more! Learn how to overcome failure, recover from setbacks, and focus on your long-term vision. Expect that you’ll have to struggle to achieve your goals…because good things rarely come easily.

Make sure your choices take you in the right direction. Before you decide to take a class, quit a job, accept a promotion, or take on a new client, ask yourself if that choice moves you towards your long-term career goals. Avoid the inclination to dismiss your needs to make other people happy or fulfill their expectations (read Letting Go of Other People’s Expectations – Maria Shriver for help with this). Surround yourself with women who are where you want to be…or who are getting where they want to go.

Build a financial cushion before starting a new career. “If your new job involves going back to school, even part-time, or taking a new job at lower pay, I want you to take the time to build up a bit of a cash cushion to help you through the transition,” writes Orman. When you’re leaving a job you hate or that doesn’t suit you, the last thing you need is create financial stress! So, scale down on the extras and focusing on pursuing your passions.

Aim for the right opportunities – not the best money. “The right job at the right company in the right field is your goal early on,” writes Orman. “Follow your passion. There will be plenty of time to make money down the line.” Of course, this works best when you’re not struggling to pay the bills or feed your kids! Read 7 Unusual Tips for Spending Less Money for a different perspective on saving money when you’re starting a new career.

Don’t rely on the internet if you’re changing careers. If you post your resume on job sites or email it to potential employers, you’ll be lost in a sea of blurry faces. Instead, visit the people and places you actually want to work with or for. Make phone calls. Your computer is fabulous for research – but successfully starting a new career requires face-to-face interaction.

What have I missed? If you have any questions or tips on successfully changing careers, please comment below!

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The Key to Success for Women – Oprah Winfrey

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:48:54 +0000

One of the reasons I admire Oprah Winfrey is because she knows that connection is the key to success for women at work, home, and play. She has made it her business to connect with people of all ages and nationalities. She connects on numerous levels – and that’s why she’s a successful woman.

The idea of connection as a key to success is new to me, because I’ve always been the strong, independent type. My “aha” moment came from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers: The Story of Success, which describes why certain people are extraordinarily successful.

Success isn’t all about talent and perseverance – Gladwell points out that one of the biggest keys to success is the people around you. People don’t succeed in isolation, and Oprah Winfrey is the perfect example of how connecting with others improves your life.

The Key to Success for Women - Oprah Winfrey

“Every one of us gets through the tough times because somebody is there, standing in the gap to close it for us,” says Oprah.

But connecting with people isn’t just about getting through tough times! Connections can help you get what you want out of life, whether you’re selling your products or convincing your husband to move to Maui.

Successfully selling your product or service. I’m a freelance writer who pitches article ideas to editors regularly (visit me on Quips and Tips Successful Writers!). I’ve learned that if the editor doesn’t connect with my idea or story, she won’t assign it because she thinks the readers won’t connect with it. Further, if I have a personal or professional connection with the editor or magazine, then I’m more likely to get an assignment without even pitching an idea! Connecting with your clients or customers is not just a key to success for women…it’s the cornerstone of a successful career.

Convincing your family to “fall in.” Have you ever tried to force your child, spouse, or sister to do something they’re lukewarm about? It’s a losing battle – unless you can find a way to connect with them. I guess it’s about making them want to do the thing you want…and the key to convincing them is to find a way to connect. For a marriage, this could involve explaining why you need your husband to relocate to Maui with you (instead of just telling him you’re moving).

But remember – you have to be real! Connecting with others to improve your life can’t be superficial or one-sided. You have to give to get – and it feels great to help others. Connecting involves building relationships to help each other achieve, and not envying or resenting another person’s achievement. If you find yourself green with jealousy, read Making Envy Work for You – Helen Gurley Brown.

Also, people don’t like books or movies when they don’t connect with the characters, plot, or theme. For instance, I didn’t like the Titanic movie at all – because I just didn’t connect with it. As a writer, I have to keep remembering that if readers don’t connect to my topic, then they won’t read.

Connection is the key to success for women; luckily, we’re good at it!

Do you connect well with others — and has it helped your career? I welcome your thoughts below!

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