Turn your hobby into a passive income – 8 creative ideas

Many of us dream of having more freedom and the possibility to earn money without working 9 to 5 all week. You can start making the dream come true by creating a foundation for a passive income. While we can’t promise that you’ll become rich overnight, we can help you get a solid start with good ideas, examples, tools and inspiration. Read along as we delve into the subject of passive income and look at how you can use your hobby as a starting point when creating your concept.

What is passive income?

Passive income means earning money from activities, products, or services with a limited amount of work. Most often, a passive income is not 100% passive, because in most cases some form of effort will be needed, especially at the beginning. But the idea is that once you have created your concept, the income will be passive, because you don’t have to do very much to obtain a continuous income.

Passive income examples

There are many different examples of passive income. In this article, we have chosen to focus on concepts where you can use your hobby as starting point, but below we have compiled a list of examples of popular types of passive income:

• Renting out rooms via Airbnb
• Rental of real estate
• Financial investments, such as the purchase of shares
• Car rental
• Rental of equipment, e.g. music equipment or ski equipment
• Affiliate marketing
• Rental of advertising space on cars
• Vending machines
• Selling products in an online shop 

Can I live on passive income?

Typically, a passive income will be your secondary income, i.e. an income you have in addition to your primary income from your work or main occupation. Should your concept prove to be so successful that you end up being able to live off a passive income, the income will instead be your primary income.

Start small and expand along the way

Once you have decided to start earning passive income and have created a good business idea, it is always best to start small and expand over time. That way, you don’t risk much more than just the time you spend getting your business up and running.

For example, if you use our Website Builder when you create a website for your concept, all plans include the option to start a small online shop with up to 3 products. When you feel it’s going so well that it’s time to expand and introduce more products, you can upgrade to a plan that lets you add an unlimited number of products to your shop.

Use your hobby as a springboard

As we have mentioned above, various types of investment and rental concepts are popular ways to earn a passive income, but in this article, we have chosen to look at how you can turn a fun and creative hobby into a passive income. If you already have a hobby that you love to spend time on and you take pride in what you create, chances are good that others will appreciate it too. So why not try to make a little extra money doing something you already love? In the next section you will get 8 ideas! 

Create a passive income with your hobby – 8 ideas

1. Blog

If you have a hobby that you love to share with the world, you can start a blog where you share your passion and expertise with others. It could, for example, be a blog where you write posts about how to best grow vegetables on the balcony, tips for photography, or articles about cooking. If your articles become popular and get a lot of readers, you will have good opportunities to make money from affiliate marketing, where you link to brands and products that you like. When you have a blog, sponsored content and advertising are also possible sources of income.  

2. Pet portraits

Do you already spend a large part of your free time drawing or painting, either digitally or on paper? Then you can create a website where you offer to immortalise people’s beloved dogs, cats, guinea pigs, budgies, or bunnies. Use your website and social media to market your pet portraits and stay in touch with potential clients. And why not give your followers and customers an insight into the process by creating a YouTube channel where you show how you do it and what materials and software you use?

3. Handmade hair accessories

If you are good at sewing and creating beautiful designs, you can set up a small online shop where you sell handmade hair accessories such as hair bands, hair clips and scrunchies. To make your concept more unique, you could make your products entirely from recycled materials you have found in a thrift store or in your own wardrobe. If each product is unique, it is guaranteed to be even more tempting for fashion-conscious customers to get their hands on your designs.

4.  Interactive fiction

Do you love to write and invent imaginative worlds? Then you can use your creative writing skills to create interactive fiction online. Interactive fiction is software narratives that let players use text commands to control characters and influence the narrative. Regardless of whether you love mystery, science fiction, romance, or fantasy, interactive fiction is a great way to let readers engage with immersive narratives where they themselves can influence the development of the story. You can publish your story using platforms like Choice of Games, Twine, or your own website, and earn passive income through sales and royalties. 

5. Online workshops and video courses

In the same way that you can use your creative hobby as a starting point when starting a blog, you can also use your hobby as a foundation for online workshops. There are plenty of people who want to improve their skills in drawing, photography, cooking, jewellery making, beer brewing, or something else entirely. Offer tickets for live streams or paid packages with high-quality pre-recorded video content. Be yourself and share your passion, your expertise and your joy in creating, and you are already well on your way to success.

6. Crochet teddy bears

Are your shelves, your sofa, and closets full of crocheted animals and other crocheted creations? Then maybe it’s time to open a small online shop where you can sell some of the things you’ve already made or make it possible for customers to order a crocheted teddy bear in a special design. Post cute pictures of the teddy bears on your website, write fun product descriptions, perhaps as short adventurous stories, and share content on social media.

7. ASMR audio or video content

ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) is often described as a pleasant, tingling sensation in the back of the head, neck, and spine, which is induced when listening to pleasant and soothing sounds. Take advantage of the growing demand for ASMR content by creating soothing audio or video content related to your hobby. You can, for example, make calm tutorials, soothing drawing courses or videos with relaxing nature sounds. Monetise your ASMR content by offering digital subscriptions in an online shop or using advertising.

8. Stock photos

Are you a skilled hobby photographer? Then, you have a good opportunity to earn a passive income by selling your photos as stock photos. Whether it’s landscape photos, food photos, abstract photos or other types of photos, there is a huge market for stock photos that can be used by bloggers, publishers, businesses, and designers. Although there are many platforms where you can sell your photos online, such as Shutterstock and Getty Images, it is often better to sell photos on your own website. In this way, you get full control over your business, and the best part is that you don’t need to share the profits with platforms that typically require a certain percentage to show your images to users.

Realise the dream of a passive income online

No matter what type of passive income you decide on, you can increase your chances of success by creating an inviting and professional website. With a strong online presence, you have a digital platform where you can showcase your products and share your vision and expertise with the world.

Create a website for your concept

Whether you have been inspired by our ideas from the list above or already have another creative idea for a passive income source, you can quickly and easily create a website for your concept here at one.com. You can create your website in these 5 simple steps: 

1. Choose a hosting plan

2. Register your domain name 

3. Choose and adjust a theme 

4. Add your content 

5. Publish your website 

If you can’t code, that’s no problem. Our user-friendly Website Builder does it for you. You can customise your website using drag and drop tools. In addition, our AI writing assistant can help you write reader-friendly texts so that you don’t need to struggle with writer’s block.

Welcome the world to your online shop

If selling products or services is part of your concept, all our Website Builder plans include the option to start an online shop with 3 products. If you have more than three products, you can of course upgrade to one of our other packages that include an unlimited number of products in your shop.

Open an online shop for your whimsical crocheted teddy bears, create a professional showroom for your paid workshops, sell subscriptions or something else entirely – you have the imagination, and we have the tools to help you bring your dreams to life.

Why wait? Get started today

Are you staring dreamily out the window thinking about your future passive income? You can start today, or indeed right this very moment. You are only a few clicks away from a beautiful and professional website. While you probably won’t become a millionaire in a couple of weeks, by getting started you have already significantly improved your chances of developing a solid passive income stream.