25 Hobbies You Can Turn Into A Business In 2023

25 Hobbies You Can Turn Into A Business In 2023

If you are looking for business ideas using your hobbies to begin your path to entrepreneurship, you are in the right place.

With starting a business using your hobbies, there are plenty of opportunities that can help you follow your dreams and build a successful career. 

In this post, you will discover profitable business ideas, perfect for those who want to have a flexible job, capable of multiplying the average income, while becoming your own boss.

Check out the full list below to help you find your next idea!

Here they are:



1. Start a painting business

How Much Can You Make?
$20,000 — $105,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$44,000
Time To Revenue
240 days
Skills

Examples of a successful painting business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a painting business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a painting business ➜

Case Study

I’m Debbie, and I’m known online as TheFlooringGirl. I have a home décor blog where I blog about flooring, painting, and home décor. It has now become my full-time job.

My site has over 700,000 pageviews/month. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has been the key to my success and you can find my SEO ebooks here.

how-i-started-a-20k-month-blog-about-flooring-and-painting

2. Start a jewelry making business ($4.33M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$1,000 — $2,000,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$38,333
Time To Revenue
210 days
Skills

Examples of a successful jewelry making business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a jewelry making business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a jewelry making business ➜

Case Study

Hello there! We are Lindsay Ann Gottschall and Courtney Joy Bleier, two sisters from Miami who started Ann + Joy. We make handmade real flower and resin jewelry and sell online and in stores around the world. We take pride in being one of the first companies to make real flower jewelry. During our first year of business, we blossomed almost immediately into a very successful Etsy shop. Etsy was constantly featuring our products on its website and in promotional emails. We are proud to say that since starting in early 2017 we have had over 5,000 sales online.

For all the readers, we are providing a 20% off coupon to our Etsy shop. Use code: STARTERSTORY at checkout!

how-we-started-a-4k-month-handmade-flower-and-resin-jewelry-business

3. Become a referee

Examples of a successful referee:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a referee:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a referee ➜

article

4. Start a crafts business

How Much Can You Make?
Average Initial Investment
$5,500
Skills

Examples of a successful crafts business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a crafts business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a crafts business ➜

Case Study

My name is Marc Staples. I am the founder of DowhHomeModern and the Lago Luna Lakeside Studio in Virginia. With the recent introduction of my original designs of windbells and chimes, DownHomeModern is gaining attention as an educator as well as a producer of quality products. Each Frontier Bell that we sell embraces the history of the place it is named for.

In 2021 I created a collection of small bells based on American Southwest decor. I call the line our Frontier Mission Bells™. The rustic style of these products has grabbed the attention of people who like their homespun appearance. The Frontier Bells has been the primary driver of sales for DownHomeModern. The example below is called “San Gabriel”. It is named after a Spanish Mission in San Gabriel, California.

how-i-validated-my-business-on-etsy-and-launched-my-own-handcrafted-artistry-shop

5. Start a comedy club

Examples of a successful comedy club:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a comedy club:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a comedy club ➜

article

6. Start a surveying business

How Much Can You Make?
$1,600,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful surveying business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a surveying business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a surveying business ➜

Case Study

Hi there! My name is Vivek Bhaskaran the Founder of QuestionPro. The most robust survey software you are going to find on the market along with Customer Experience, Employee Experience, and a Research platform that will give your company every advantage. We focus on not only providing the tools for creation, distribution, and analysis of surveys, but also provide the platforms for polling, tablet-based mobile research, and data visualization.

how-i-started-a-1-6m-month-online-surveys-and-research-tools-software

7. Start a mobile pet grooming

Examples of a successful mobile pet grooming:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a mobile pet grooming:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a mobile pet grooming ➜

article

8. Become a proofreader ($24K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
Skills

Examples of a successful proofreader:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a proofreader:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a proofreader ➜

Case Study

Hi, my name is Lenny Bron, and I am The Blog Proofreader. I’m the annoying grammar police person you’ve always been tired of hearing from every time you use an ellipses incorrectly in a Facebook post you wrote 3 years ago.

I’ve been able to build my business from scratch to consistently make ~$2,000 per month with zero experience in the field, no expenses, and barely any upfront costs.

how-i-added-2-000-to-my-monthly-income-proofreading-blog-posts

9. Start a mobile photography ($481K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$2,000 — $500,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$24,583
Skills

Examples of a successful mobile photography :

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a mobile photography :

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a mobile photography ➜

Case Study

Hi! My name is Tsour Lee Adato and I am the founder of Pro Photo Studio. I started my product photography business over 5 years ago while living in New York. Pro Photo Studio specializes in high-end commercial photography and also caters to the average eCommerce online seller who sells on platforms like Amazon and Etsy.

The company began realizing a profit very quickly, in the first quarter after opening and year over year profits have increased while the cost of customer acquisition has decreased. Currently, the company makes approximately $350k per year and is on its way to becoming a 7 figure business.

how-i-started-a-commercial-product-photography-business

10. Start an antique business ($180K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$15,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$10,500
Skills
Business model

Examples of a successful antique business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a antique business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an antique business ➜

Case Study

In 2013 I decided to start a company where I would restore antiques and antique toys. After 25 years of working in education and information technologies, I decided to cash out my 401K savings to start Hoosierboy Restorations. I began in my mother's garage and quickly began receiving projects to restore. I quickly outgrew the small 2 car garage and expanded my operations to my present 2200 sq.ft. facility.

7 years later, we have restored hundreds of projects. Everything from 100-year-old toys, to historical furniture, to a T-33 Airforce jet ejection seat.

how-i-left-a-25-year-career-to-start-a-15k-month-antiques-restoration-business

11. Become a graphic designer ($360K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$15,000 — $81,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$333
Skills

Examples of a successful graphic designer:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a graphic designer:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a graphic designer ➜

Case Study

Hi, I’m Mike Moloney, the founder of FilterGrade. FilterGrade is a marketplace for creators where you can find digital assets such as presets, LUTs, video templates, and much more.

Today thousands of creators from all around the world buy and sell digital products on FilterGrade and more than 450,000 users visit the site every month.

how-we-created-a-30k-month-marketplace-of-photo-filters-and-digital-assets-for-creatives

12. Start a photo editing business

How Much Can You Make?
$500,000/month
Skills

Examples of a successful photo editing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a photo editing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a photo editing business ➜

Case Study

Ivan created Photopea, an advanced free photo editor, as a solo founder. It has 10 million sessions/month, and it's generating $100,000 a month from ads.

13. Start a DIY business ($848K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$5,000 — $1,100,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$31,000
Time To Revenue
330 days
Skills
Work from home

Examples of a successful DIY business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a DIY business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a DIY business ➜

Case Study

I'm the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Cooking Gift Set Co., where we design and curate cooking kits that feed your culinary curiosity. From mastering Chinese soup dumplings to smoking meat on the grill, our kits teach classic techniques from all over the world.

In 2020 we did $866,000 in sales with 70% on Amazon, 26% Wholesale, and 4% e-commerce.

how-we-created-the-perfect-cooking-kits-and-made-860k-in-sales-in-one-year

14. Become a carpenter

How Much Can You Make?
$1,000 — $18,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$26,250
Skills

Examples of a successful carpenter:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a carpenter:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a carpenter ➜

Case Study

Hello, my name is Brett Burdick and I am the founder (this is the first time I’ve used that term) of Brex International, LLC which is sort of the umbrella company for The Hedgehog business that I’ll be talking about here.

The other products I sell are small stacking accessories that are used to stack two featherboards on top of each other for extra stability when cutting thicker boards on a table saw or band saw. Both products are shown below.

how-i-designed-and-patented-a-18k-month-woodworking-accessory

15. Start a blog ($200K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$200 — $160,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$2,687
Time Commitment Per Week
Min. 5 hours/week
Skills
Interests

Examples of a successful blog:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a blog:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a blog ➜

Case Study

Hey! We are Kelan and Brittany Kline the founders and co-owners of the popular personal finance blog The Savvy Couple.

We are currently on pace to make over $250,000 this year alone with our personal finance blog!

how-this-28-year-old-couple-quit-their-jobs-and-make-20k-month-running-a-blog

16. Start an auto repair business ($4.98M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$415,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$200,000
Skills

Examples of a successful auto repair business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a auto repair business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an auto repair business ➜

Case Study

My name is Johnny Van, I am the President and Owner of Finish Line Towing & Auto Repair. I have always been interested in cars, trucks, motorcycles, snowmobiles… you name it. My father was a major contributor to my love for automobiles, he started a towing company when I was a child. He always had about 2 or 3 trucks while working a full-time job also and he did this for around 25 years.

FLT does around $5,000,000 in sales a year between all our services and we are focusing on growing to other markets in Wisconsin and soon Illinois.

i-quit-my-full-time-job-launched-a-5m-year-towing-auto-repair-business

17. Start a tutoring business ($1.32M/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$1,000 — $375,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$1,723
Time Commitment Per Week
Min. 5 hours/week
Skills
Interests

Examples of a successful tutoring business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a tutoring business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a tutoring business ➜

Case Study

Hey everyone! My name is Adam Shlomi and I am a 22-year-old senior at Georgetown University from South Florida. I am the founder of SoFlo SAT Tutoring, an online SAT/ACT tutoring company that provides exceptional test prep to students across the country. I started this business in my bedroom almost a year ago while I was recovering from ankle surgery. I couldn’t walk for 6 months and SoFlo gave me the motivation to get up in the morning.

SoFlo currently brings in average revenue of $15,000 a month and has seen a linear increase in student sign-ups each month since its official inception in March 2019. Since our customer lifetime is short –our students study for and take the SAT, get the score they want, and then no longer require our services– we invest in and rely heavily on the quality of the service we provide to attract future customers. Happy customers and significant score increases have helped spread the word and grow the brand.

how-i-started-a-15k-month-sat-tutoring-business-while-in-college

18. Become a music tutor ($840K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$30,000 — $70,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$5,035
Skills

Examples of a successful music tutor:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a music tutor:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a music tutor ➜

Case Study

Hi! I’m Jacques Hopkins, creator of Piano In 21 Days. My online piano course helps adults of all ages learn to play piano as fast as possible. Most of my students are people who never had the time or failed piano lessons before. Some are retirees who are excited about a new hobby but don’t want to wait years for results. Others are busy parents or professionals who need a low-pressure, flexible learning schedule.

My business brings in five figures every month, and I built everything from the ground up. I knew I had a unique take on piano lessons, but I had to learn everything about digital entrepreneurship and marketing in real time. It took a lot of effort, but it worked: I quit my engineering job and have been supporting my family this way for over eight years now.

i-created-a-480k-year-online-piano-lessons-business-with-100

19. Start an online video editing business ($48K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$2,000 — $208,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$150,075
Skills

Examples of a successful online video editing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a online video editing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an online video editing business ➜

Case Study

Hey, I am Sabba and I am the co-founder of VEED.IO along with my partner in crime Tim. We are a London-based bootstrapped startup. Our web app, VEED, is a simple online video editing platform that allows users to do a bunch of cool stuff like auto subtitle videos, add video effects, add music, trim, rotate videos and much more all in the browser.

We launched just over a year ago, started charging 4 months ago and as of this interview, we are at $5,300 MRR and are just about profitable (Ramen profitable).

how-we-developed-a-6k-month-online-video-editing-software

20. Become a public speaker

How Much Can You Make?
$7,000 — $200,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$7,333
Skills

Examples of a successful public speaker:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a public speaker:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a public speaker ➜

Case Study

Hi! My name is Dean Bokhari, and I’m the founder of DeanBokhari.com - a membership platform focused on inspiring people to improve their lives and achieve their goals.

These days, about half a million people read or listen to my work every month. It’s both fun and fulfilling to help others grow. And it’s financially rewarding, too—our revenues are over $100,000 per month.

how-i-started-a-100k-month-membership-platform-focused-on-self-improvement

21. Become a social media marketer ($60.6K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$100 — $250,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$16,437
Time To Revenue
180 days
Skills
Business model

Examples of a successful social media marketer:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a social media marketer:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a social media marketer ➜

Case Study

I’m Kelsey Chance and I run Good Chance Creative, a creative agency specializing in social media content creation! I work with companies to manage their social media pages, take and post custom lifestyle imagery of their products and services, and strategize creative ways to keep their social media posts, reels, stories, and videos on-trend and successful!

Behind the scenes - shooting a tabletop recipe video for a client’s social media page

i-started-my-own-20k-month-social-media-marketing-agency

22. Start a freelance writing business ($736K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$700 — $320,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$405
Time To Revenue
90 days
Skills
Business model

Examples of a successful freelance writing business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a freelance writing business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a freelance writing business ➜

Case Study

My name is David Tile. I own and operate a Content Writing Service, under the banner Article-Writing.co.

We don’t consider ourselves a content marketing firm. But a firm dedicated to the business of writing. Project management offers most often attached to marketing agencies. We work against marketing briefs delivering content on time and under budget.

how-i-started-a-80k-month-content-writing-business

23. Start a niche web design business ($780K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$200 — $200,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$30,881
Skills

Examples of a successful niche web design business:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a niche web design business:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a niche web design business ➜

Case Study

My name is Samuel Wilson and I am the owner of The Locksmith Agency. The Locksmith Agency provides digital marketing services such as Website Development, SEO, and Google Listing optimization services specifically for the locksmith industry.

I now work with dozens of rock shops across the country and we’re making roughly $30k+ per month by helping them with their digital marketing needs such as local SEO and social media management.

how-i-started-a-30k-month-web-development-and-marketing-agency-focused-on-locksmiths

24. Become an online fitness coach ($504K/year)

How Much Can You Make?
$250 — $39,875,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$1,375
Time To Revenue
180 days
Skills
Business model

Examples of a successful online fitness coach:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a online fitness coach:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting an online fitness coach ➜

Case Study

I was once just an out of shape, overweight guy with a goal to make a change. I started my health and fitness journey by losing 90lbs. The discipline and drive it took to go from never exercising at all to achieving such significant weight loss taught me a lot about goals and how to attain them.

TeamFFLEX is my online personal training platform that coaches athletes, Hollywood actors, professional musicians and everyday people all around the world. Starting with literally 0 dollars and a hell of a lot of drive I successfully built my business into the 6 figures in less than a year. Today, TeamFFLEX LLC does $48,000 a month and is growing continually month after month.

how-i-started-a-48k-month-business-with-an-online-fitness-training-service

25. Start a bakery

How Much Can You Make?
$3,750 — $25,000/month
Average Initial Investment
$3,642
Skills

Examples of a successful bakery:

Here are some great videos on how to get started with a bakery:

For further info, check out these books and products:

Learn more about starting a bakery ➜

Case Study

Bonjour! My name is Anthony Rosemond. I'm a Parisian chef & founder of Pastreez, an online French bakery.

We’ve sold over 1 million macarons to this date, with only a team of two.

how-this-couple-left-france-to-build-their-american-dream-a-six-figure-online-french-bakery

Pat Walls,  Founder of Starter Story
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I'm Pat Walls and I created Starter Story - a website dedicated to helping people start businesses. We interview entrepreneurs from around the world about how they started and grew their businesses.

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