The saying “do something you love and you’ll never work a day in your life” has been on my mind lately since being locked up. I keep asking myself, “what do you like to do?!” The truth is, I love to do a lot of ish! I love to shop, sleep, eat, talk, travel, read, mentor college students, help others, work as a pharmacist, etc. I realized that all of the things above involved me communicating with another person. So I like to stay connected. But how will I make money off of any of that? I’m honestly trying to turn a side hustle into a sole provider of income. I’m trying to go from W-2 to 1099. I want to work for me. Travel is what I settled on and brings me here.
There are a few questions to really consider and if they are answered truthfully, then the next step is to make it happen!

1. Can I sell it through me? Not to but through. If I walked up to you today and you were trying to sell me blinged-out umbrellas, could you convince me to buy them? I’m telling you I might have anyway because I love all blinged out items. Are you ready to put yourself out there for your hobby? Are you ready to have in your mind to convince someone with almost every interaction you have that they should buy your product?

2. Am I ok with the pressure of making money off my hobby? This is an important question. You have to decide if you are really willing to let this hobby of yours become the thing that could literally make or break you. This hobby used to bring you fun, joy, excitement, and it still may! But tie it to living expenses because now this hobby pays for my car, lights, home. You did this hobby whenever you wanted to do it. I made budgets for people when they wanted to get help and get back on track. Oh but now I have someone paying for it. I have a deadline. I have to deliver! When you have someone else’s money in your hand they expect what you said you would give or do. You used to braid hair in your bedroom for your friends for free. If I come to get my hair braided and I pay you, and my braids don’t look right, I’m not going to say “It’s okay girl, I still wear it!” I'm going to need you to deliver the finished product I want.

3. Do I have another hobby to replace this hobby for relaxation? You must ask yourself if you have other outlets. Once you turn this hobby into a business, it may no longer be the go-to for you to unwind and take your mind away from the worries of the world.

As I sit in my bed and think of the many things I could do to make money that seems so effortless to me, I also try to consider if I’m willing to change my love for it. I love to make soul food, but am I willing to start changing for it, cook and bake all day, hear some rave and some complain about the taste, have health department inspections, meet deadlines to have 100 cornbread muffins at the church by next Sunday at 1 pm. Eh no. I’ll just cook during the holidays. I am however willing to work from home and book travel and events for people, inform them of what I do, go on cruises/to concerts and professional sporting events, and write them off on my taxes because I'm enjoying my business as well. I am willing to buy in bulk everything I love like shades and hair and then sell the rest online to get paid for my shopping habit. I am willing to blog about my personal life and travel destinations all while helping women like me enjoy travel too because I love to communicate with people and connect with them so they can understand we all have something in common. Yes, I’ll let them pay me to redo their budget and be an accountability partner. If you are ready to make that move, then head over to my One Page Business Plan Post. It will give you a few tips on how to plan go ahead and make that jump from doing something you love into getting paid for doing something you love so you can never work another day in your life.