If you have a hobby, a passion that takes up every waking moment, it’s nice when you can blend that with some earning potential. In this article, we’ll give you an actionable guide to hobbies that make money. And we’ll include actionable strategies and business models to help you earn more!

These are 22 hobbies that make money.

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22 Hobbies that make money

1. Content creation

The internet runs on content. Companies need it. Users worldwide spend an average of 143 minutes a day on social media. And most of that time is spent consuming content of some sort.

There’s the skill of creating great content. If you’ve got a history of making engaging videos people respond to, you may have this skill. But there’s a whole secondary skill set around using content for marketing, building an audience around your work, and perhaps making an offer if you’re monetizing.

So yes, if you love to create content as a hobby, you can make money from it. To some extent, it doesn’t even matter what the content is. There are ways to monetize just about anything from this skill.

All of the hobbies below + the skill of content creation will give you new and interesting ways to make money.

How this hobby makes you money

• Monetize your own content. Obviously you can choose to monetize your own content. And obviously, there are a lot of ways to do this–from collecting ad dollars to building a membership or course out of your passion. We have a full guide to monetizing content here.


• Work for others. Unfortunately, independent content creators aren’t always rewarded in the way they hope. Our study of creators found that too many are underpaid. So, if you’re struggling to earn from creating on your own, try taking your skills elsewhere. Lots of brands and big creators are looking to hire content creators to help them get in front of people. You can use your own portfolio as a demo and either find a job or consult with others who need content.

2. Writing

When people think about being a writer, they probably imagine something like Hemingway in Paris. The starving artist, living in a cramped apartment. You know the drill. And if that’s what you want to do, write the next great American novel, you do you! It’s a tough slog, but we’re rooting for you.

But otherwise, there are still a lot of different ways to earn from writing–even if ChatGPT does feel like it’s eating our lunch.

The internet is full of people writing and charging for newsletters, premium content, and yes, even their newest novel. Easy self-publishing means any writer can get their stuff in front of people and earn some cash from it. Amazon’s KDP will do everything automatically for you.

Or what about writing for other people?

We still need writers for online publications, social media posts, and blogs (yes, this is a real person writing this). There are new opportunities for writers all the time. For example, CEOs and thought leaders hire ghostwriters for their next big book, Forbes article, or LinkedIn. And even if a company does use AI to write stuff, it still takes a great human writer to work alongside the AI, feeding it prompts and correcting it.

How this hobby makes you money

• Learn to monetize your own writing on a platform that lets you sell or license it. This could include a subscription-style payment like a newsletter. Or it could mean self-publishing that novella. If you’re just getting started, you could try a Patreon too.


• Build a community around your writing and ideas and charge members to join. It’s a great way to create premium content and conversation–and one of the most lucrative online businesses out there.


• Submit pieces to big publications, most of which pay anywhere from $500 to $5,000 per piece. As you grow your name and reputation, you can earn more too.


• Take your skills to a brand, business, or thought leader, writing premium content that helps someone else grow.

3. Programming

Being a programmer or developer is obviously something you can make a living with. Indeed reports that the average programmer in the US earns $61,810 a year. But programming lends itself well to side jobs and hobbyists–especially because there’s so much demand.

How this hobby makes you money

• Create your own programs, apps, websites, etc. You could either monetize them yourself or else sell them as third-party or white-label solutions on a site like Envato or Codester.


• Work directly for clients on a project basis. This could be building things as projects or doing some freelance programming work on an hourly basis.

4. Video editing

Video editing is a creative skill that’s still in quite high demand. More and more brands and independent creators are including video as part of their offerings. So if you love editing video, this is definitely a hobby that can make you some money.

While this could be mixed with things like videography, the beautiful thing about setting up a video editing business online is that you can take clients from anywhere in the world–they can send you their videos to edit.

How this hobby makes you money

• Create a portfolio of video work you’ve done. You might want to do some “spec work” (AKA fake projects) to build out your range and demonstrate for clients. Potential clients will almost always be more interested in seeing the videos you can create than whether or not you have credentials.


• You can post your services on websites like Upwork or People Per Hour. But as you grow your reputation, you might not need to do this. Eventually many video editors grow a roster of recurring clients they create for.


• If you prefer local over digital, you can connect with local business owners, organizations, or even sports leagues to find opportunities for freelance video editing.

5. Crafting

Crafting can work online or offline–but a lot of the people earning the most are online. While some great crafters will cart their stuff to a local trade show or market, there’s only a small chance that the people walking by are the right audience for you. That means, you might be better off growing a presence online.

If you’re going to get good at crafting, choose something you can master. Pick something unique and memorable and specialize. It’s going to be way easier to sell something specific (personalized wind chimes) than something generic.

How this hobby makes you money

• Sell a specific, bespoke craft online and become the best person at selling that. You can use Etsy or create your own store. You’ll probably use Instagram and Facebook to create awareness.


• Partner with local businesses to host your crafts there or consider setting up at trade fairs or markets (we talked about some of the drawbacks above).

Try our Craft Business Name Generator!

6. 3D Printing

There are probably a lot of different ways to monetize a hobby like 3D printing. But one of the best we’ve seen is 3D printing products and selling them. For example, you could create small figurines and characters for decor or keychains and sell them. If you have plans that work well and the ability to produce quality 3D items, people will buy.

How this hobby makes you money

• Try selling at a local market. 3D printing is still enough of a novelty that often there’s a lot of buzz around it. We’ve seen local vendors do well with 3D printing–especially if you’re printing toys and trinkets kids love.


• You could try to sell your 3D printing on Etsy or another craft site.


• You could also consider licensing your 3d printing models or plans to sell. Sites like TurboSquid let you sell 3D models.

7. Music

“Just you wait, mom. You’ll be sorry when I’m rich and famous.”

If you’ve ever said those words as you smashed power chords onto an electric guitar, maybe you’re a musician. Or perhaps you were the kid sitting inside playing cello while everyone else played.

While it’s true that “making it” in music is harder than ever, it doesn’t mean you can’t make some side cash or even a good living off of music.

How this hobby makes you money

• If you want an online presence, post your music on sites like YouTube to grow your fanbase. You can sell music, vinyl, and merch on a site like BandCamp. Or, look at licensing your music to TV shows and movies.


• Taking it local, consider enlisting to play events. Many bars and pubs pay musicians, as do people hosting events like weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties, etc. Live music is still special, and if you’re good, you can earn.


• If you’re so inclined, cover bands are a huge thing–there’s a big market for bands that can play popular songs. This might be your chance to play Yellow Submarine live as a member of The Cheatles to thousands of fans.


• Consider being a paid session musician for recording artists. You can contact recording studios in your area to see if they keep a roster, or start networking with other musicians.


• Consider teaching music, either in-person or online through an online teaching platform. You can charge at least $30/hr for a music lesson in most states.

Try our Musician Name Generator!

8. Painting

If you’re a great painter, and you can produce beautiful creations in oil or watercolor, you could make money selling them. You’ve got to be good, but there’s a huge art market online as people build Facebook Pages, Etsy Shops, and Shopify stores around their work. You can share your creations on Instagram.

And this hobby can make money offline too. Some of the best ways to sell art will be to connect to the local art scene–people pay for local artists. If you’re good enough, you could approach a local gallery about selling for you. They’ll take a commission, but they’ll also do a lot of the heavy sales lifting–leaving you the time to paint more.

How this hobby makes you money

• Consider creating beautiful, original works of art that you can market and sell as originals or prints (obviously originals sell for more).


• You could also try a more niche approach, custom making specific pieces. For example, If you’re great with live subjects, there’s a market for custom paintings of kids or a family pet.


• If you can’t sell your own work, teach! Offer paid art classes, either charging by the participant OR partner to create great events. For example, a local restaurant might be open to a “paint and sip” night, where you teach a class and they pay you–to bring people in the door.

9. Graphic Design

Graphic design is a hobby that works on or offline and it can be a great way to make money. If you love designing logos, social media assets, or branding, you might be able to earn some money as a graphic designer.

Here are some ideas for making this happen.

How this hobby makes you money

• Create a business that offers bespoke social media design or web assets for brands. Most brands know they need to get online, but struggle to do it consistently. If you can create a portfolio of clients and run their social presence every month, you’ve got a fantastic recurring-revenue business.


• Build logos and brand assets. While AI logos are taking a bite out of graphic designers’ client base, there are still businesses that want to be led through a discovery process by a designer. This means working with them to establish their brand identity and creating assets like a logo, style guide, and/or brand images. Note that this work isn’t recurring revenue–usually it’s a one time thing.


• Design your own assets. Although you’ll earn much less up front, developing a library of assets that are licensed to other brands and designers can earn you recurring income. For example, building a font and hosting it for sale on MyFonts lets you sell to brands looking for unique assets.

10. Photography

Building a photography business online is possible, but it’s not easy. Trying to license your photos for pennies on the dollar is not a great way to earn from your hobby.

But this is a hobby that is still super lucrative in the real world. People still hire photographers for weddings, engagements, baby photos, and special occasions like school or dance. And photographers can charge a lot, starting from about $400/photo shoot. You can charge more for different packages.

And all you need is camera gear. You can shoot great photos on location or outdoors, no need for an expensive studio space.

How this hobby makes you money

• Set up a local photography business. You might find it useful to advertise or post your services in different local Facebook groups or on Instagram. After that, if you’re good, your business should keep rolling through word of mouth.

Try our Photography Business Name Generator!

11. Gardening

If you’ve got a green thumb, you’ve got a hobby that can make money. Of course, this might mean working as a landscaper or gardener for a company–letting them handle the headache of finding clients and paying you a steady paycheck.

But, if you’re a bit more creative and/or entrepreneurial, here are some ways to earn from that green thumb of yours!

How this hobby makes you money

• You could design, plant, and maintain gardens for clients in your city or town. Lots of people are willing to pay for beautiful gardens they don’t have to build themselves.


• Consider selling plants. If you like seeding and growing plants, you could start a business selling them–either with a storefront or just on a platform like Facebook. Consider niching down to grow faster (e.g. focus on succulents or annual flowers).


• Teach gardening. It’s therapeutic, fun, and something a lot of people want to learn! You could consider doing local workshops, but a great way to earn from this is to take your niche online! We’ve got some great communities of gardeners on Mighty, with Hosts earning from selling courses and memberships. Why not get paid to teach what you know?

Photo by Benjamin Combs

12. Woodworking

If you love woodworking, you’ve also got a hobby that could be in high demand. Whether it’s building bespoke furniture or doing home renos for clients, a lot of people will pay for this amazing hobby.

How this hobby makes you money

• Start a business building custom woodworking into people’s homes. For example, you could specialize in kitchen cabinets or custom, Instagrammable bookshelves. This is a business with really high earning potential–kitchen cabinets sell for tens of thousands of dollars!


• Build houses. Some home building companies do woodworking at scale. For example, building timber frame homes is an art form worthy of any carpenter. If you’re just getting started, you probably should start by finding a job with a company that already does this to learn.


• Sell custom creations. You can sell them online or in person, but those Adirondack chairs you love building in your shop could earn a pretty penny.

13. Fitness

If you love working out, you’ve got a great avenue to earning some money with this hobby. Personal training is a $15 billion industry in the U.S. with 839,000 personal trainers! And this is one industry where there is nearly limitless potential. People have vastly different preferences when it comes to how they work out, when, what types of activities they want to do, and who they want to train them.

Some people want a personal trainer who looks like Arnold to help them quadruple their biceps. Some want someone who specializes in post-partum training who’s been in their shoes. And some want a pilates or yoga instructor.

The sky's the limit when creating a personal training business. This means that your unique passion and perspective might be very welcome.

How this hobby makes you money

• While it’s difficult to scale, 1:1 personal training is a tried and true model. Many people are willing to pay a premium to work out with someone, both for technique and accountability. Tip: to help keep your students engaged, check out this list of the best mobile apps for personal trainers.


• There are a lot of fitness influencers out there, but if you’re willing to be vulnerable and share your journey it can do amazing things. One of our favorite examples of this is Martinus Evans–who started an Instagram account to share his journey to running a first marathon. He runs a community for “back of the pack” runners.

14. Pet Care

If you’re that person that always needs to pet every dog you walk past, maybe you should be making money with this hobby!

Pet care is an almost $150 billion industry in the U.S. alone. That market goes toward food, treats, toys, vets, and other pet care.

How this hobby makes you money

• If you want to pet sit, you can make some great cash. You could get started on a website like Rover, that lets you list your home for stays or agree to drop into clients’ houses when they’re away.


• If your passion is training, you could create an online course or community dedicated to training your favorite kind of pets.


• Consider productizing a pet toy, leash, or care item. You could build a brand around this, selling online–either with social commerce, Amazon, or a Shopify store!

15. Languages

This one is getting harder with AI. Because more and more people are using AI to learn languages and practice conversation. But if you love languages, there’s still a chance this hobby could earn you some income!

Here are some ideas for doing this.

How this hobby makes you money

• If you love translating texts, some organizations hire translators. Look for organizations that need to work in multiple languages, for example, international companies or non-profits. Maybe these will keep freelance translators on hand to translate important documents. Note that you might need a certification for this.


• Start a community dedicated to practicing! There’s no shortage of ways to learn a language. Duolingo has made gamified language learning simple and easy. But it can still be hard to practice–especially if you’re learning a language that isn’t common. Why not start a dedicated group? Even if you’re not a master, you could start that conversational German, Italian, or Korean group and charge a small cover fee.


• There may be opportunities to teach either 1:1 or group language classes, either online or perhaps in your area. See what else is out there and if you can find some interested students!

16. Magic tricks

Presto… Chango! Learning magic tricks is a hobby that can earn you money, especially if you're a showperson at heart.

How this hobby makes you money

• You could do paid local events, shows at places like outdoor markets, street vendors, or even birthday parties.


• You could teach magic tricks, giving away magician’s secrets. This could work as either an online business (paid online course) or an offline business (e.g. as a day camp or after school program for kids).

17. DJing

If you love spinning music and helping people make memories, working as a DJ lets you work a crowd and–hopefully–get people onto the dance floor. This is a business that works best locally, although there could be an online model too–for example, having a YouTube channel that showcases the latest independent artists (something like AlexRainbird does).

How this hobby makes you money

• Hang out a shingle for weddings, parties, and events. This is a great side hustle, because it’s usually on evenings and weekends, and might not interfere with a day job.

18. Baking

Baking is a hobby that can make some money. But this is tricky. A lot of home bakers end up spending more on time and materials than they earn, so you need to make sure you get the mix right (hehe see what we did there?)

Here are some ideas for turning your love for baking into a business.

How this hobby makes you money

• Bake ONE thing. Becoming the master at baking the ultimate cookie or cupcake is more likely to give you the option to grow a successful business than trying to do everything. It also makes it easier to grow a following online too–for example, people might follow a dedicated Instagram for cupcakes.


• Teach baking courses. While almost any of the hobbies here can be taught, teaching a baking course is a cool way to share your love for baking. Whether you grow an online or offline course biz, you can share your passion for food.


• Consider decorating. While it’s an art form in itself, adding bespoke decor can push a baking business to the next level, especially if you’re baking high-end things like wedding cakes.

19. Furniture restoration

While it’s related to woodworking, restoring furniture often requires other skill sets like upholstery or painting. But taking something old and unloved and turning it into a showpiece isn’t just a great hobby, it can be a fantastic business.

Sometimes you’ll find pieces for free at the side of the road. But some flippers do pay for furniture with good bones. Make sure you know your numbers and don’t get burned.

How this hobby makes you money

• Find dated pieces of furniture at flea markets, garage sales, on Facebook, or even at the side of the road. Restore them and post them for sale–probably on Facebook Marketplace.


• Teach furniture restoration. Almost everyone has an old chair lying around they’ve always sworn they’d get to refurnishing. You could host a course that teaches this skill.

20. Clothes flipping

For a fashionista who knows their brands, flipping clothes can be a lucrative hobby. The idea is that you find neglected treasures at thrift shops or garage sales and post them online. Unlike furniture flipping, clothes flipping usually means finding things that are nearly new in the bargain bin of a thrift store.

Again, like furniture, you need to know your stuff and your numbers so you don’t get burned.

How this hobby makes you money

• Find beautiful clothes and sell them online, probably on Amazon, Ebay, or Marketplace.

21. Collecting

People collect a lot of different things, from baseball cards to vinyl to comic books. And almost any serious collector might have a way to turn this hobby into cash (although many collectors spend more on their hobby than they will ever make.

How this hobby makes you money

• You can resell collectables if you know your numbers and your market. This could be an online or offline business–but probably works best online to find bigger markets of collectors.


• Create a paid community dedicated to collectors. It could encourage trading or selling, but also have lots of space for people to get excited about their collectables!

22. Streaming

Live streaming is a relatively new thing, but there are already people earning money from this. Go find a Gen Z (if you aren’t one) and you’ll see that they will watch videos of people playing video games. So streaming can earn in a lot of different ways, most commonly through advertising, memberships, or tips and payments related to the actual video.

How this hobby makes you money

• If you’re approved for advertising on YouTube or another platform like Twitch, you can earn money from in-stream and on-screen ads.


• You can turn a stream into a paid stream, or introduce premium membership features to a free livestream. This could include things like backstage passes, courses, or communities.


• If you have a large audience, you can earn from influencer partnerships, ads, and affiliates with brands who want to get their products or services in front of your audience.

Business models

For each of the hobbies above, we’ve covered different ways to earn money. Let’s look quickly at some of the business models this post has talked about. Remember, you can mix and match these. But turning a hobby into an income might require some flexibility here.

Community: Bring members together for shared content, conversations, and friendships. Charge a fee or offer a related product or service.
Direct sales: Sell a product or service directly to a consumer–either online or offline.
Memberships: Collect a monthly or yearly payment for access to premium content or a cool members space.
Courses: Package and sell your knowledge using either a pre-recorded or live course.
Advertising or affiliates: If you have enough of an audience, earn ad or affiliate money from a brand that will pay to reach your audience.
Consulting: Bring your expertise to brands and businesses by consulting–for example, with content creation strategies or social media planning.
Coaching: Helping someone get a result or transformation they want, working with them 1:1 or in a group.

Every option on this list has some form of these ideas baked in. Which one will work for you?

Conclusion

Hobbies aren’t just a distraction from our real lives. Often they hold clues to the things we care most about. And in some cases, it can make sense to turn your hobby into a side hustle, or even a full-time gig!

If you want to monetize a hobby with a course or community, come give Mighty a try! We’re home to more $1 million communities than any other platform. It’s really easy to bring members or students together, charge either one-time or bundles, and deliver incredible experiences on desktop or apps.

It’s the platform trusted by brands and creators like Mel Robbins, Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuck, Marie Forleo, Jim Kwik, and Matthew Hussey.

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