How 4 Women Turned Their Hobbies Into Cash

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Who doesn’t love to make the most of a leisure activity? From reading to racket sports and baking to kickboxing, studies show that people who frequently engage in hobbies often feel

healthier and happier.

But many people, whether employed or retired, also have discovered another benefit: You can earn cash doing what you love.

For example, Kristina Latour, an actor in New York, started earning money with her hobby in 2006. She creates demo reels for performers and custom montages for special occasions. Recently,

she added an instructional course to her repertoire for those who want to edit their reels on their own.

Latour got started in video editing when her parents were approaching a milestone wedding anniversary.

“I wanted to do something special for them,” she says. “They had boxes and boxes of pictures, the old Super 8 mm film videos [and] the silent movies.”

The idea was to transfer the vintage technology into a digital format, add the still photographs and put it all together with music to present to her parents as a keepsake gift. She signed

up for a basic video editing class and invested in video production software.

The project also turned out to be a hit with friends in the theater community, who started asking for her help with putting together their actor reels. Even better, they were offering to

pay. She decided to test the waters beyond her circle of friends by advertising her services on Craigslist.

“People just started coming,” she recalls, “and from there it was word of mouth. “I thought, ‘I think I can make this into a business.’”

According to a study from Vista Print, the majority of working adults surveyed said they dreamed of turning their hobby into a side hustle but were afraid to take the leap.

Fortunately, there are some government agencies and nonprofits that can help you start making money off your hobbies. The U.S. Small Business Administration provides counseling, loans and

other support to independent companies with fewer than 500 employees. SCORE.org, an SBA resource partner, provides mentoring and training.

But being a small business doesn’t have to be a big project. Eighty percent of all U.S. small business owners are solo entrepreneurs — meaning they work alone — and the number is expected to

grow in coming years due to the rise of the gig economy and other economic conditions, wrote Barbara Weltman, an attorney and blog contributor for the SBA.

Tara Palacios, director of BizLaunch, a division of the Arlington County Economic Development, oversees small business efforts in an urban area of 237,300 residents in northern Virginia.