1. Whats your favorite hobby? Sometimes a hobby can turninto a
side business, as it did forskydiver Sydney Owen. Whileworking at a
public relationsagency, she took up skydivingon the weekends, and
thenstarted handling marketing forthe skydiving company. Now,she
runs her own marketingbusiness on the side.
2. What do you already do for free? Are you the person
everyoneasks for computer help? Orgraphic design insight, or
socialmedia tips? If so, that expertisecan turn into a
coachingbusiness or consultancy. Thatswhat happened for Douglas
LeeMiller, a social media expertwho now consults on the side.
3. Whats your most marketableskill? If youve worked in an
in-demand field, from websitedesign to public relations,
yourexpertise can probably beparlayed into a side business.Public
relations consultantMegan Moynihan found thatafter leaving her
agency, shecould pick up her own clientsand work for herself.
4. What kind of legacy do you wantto leave? Sometimes the
lessons or storiesyou want to pass on to yourchildren can turn into
products thatothers are interested in as well.Prakash Dheeriya
initially wrotepersonal finance books for his ownsons, but soon
realized that otherparents wanted to teach theirchildren similar
lessons. Thefinance professor has nowpublished a 20-book series
aimedat young people.
5. Are you part of a community? If the community you
wishexisted hasnt yet taken form,you might be able to build
abusiness out of creating it.Thats what Emily Miethner,founder of
NY Creative Interns,discovered after launching aseries of events
designed toconnect entry-levelprofessionals with moreexperienced
creative-types.
6. How can your friends help you? Many new entrepreneurs
findthat friends are essential togetting the word out about
theirnew businesses, especially atthe beginning. Jewelry
designerErica Sara had her friends hosttrunk shows for her wares
andmade connections with potentialcustomers through her
runningblog.
7. Does your full-time job easilyconvert into freelance work?
If you work in a specializedfield, such as informationtechnology,
public relations, ordesign, you might find that yourskills are also
in demand on thefreelance circuit. Websites suchas freelancer.com,
elance.com,and odesk.com make it easy topost your skills and search
forfreelance jobs.
8. What do you need help with? If you have a weaknessperhapsyou
dont know how to use Twitter,or you stumble over propergrammaryou
might want to enlistthe support of an online course,ebook, or coach
to help youthrough those rough spots. Aftertaking an online course
on makingmoney, twenty-something JamesMundia was able to build
hissoccer training business.
9. What do you read about forpleasure? As with weekend hobbies,
yourreading habits can also provideinsight into how youd like
tospend your time, and how youmight be able to make money. Ifyou
love reading about newmedia, perhaps a Twittercoaching business is
for you. Orif you enjoy perusing Pinterestor Etsy, perhaps some
type ofcrafting career is in your future.
10. Can you find a role model? In almost every field, no
matterhow niche, there is usuallysomeone already doingsomething
similar to what youwant to be doing. That personcan help you,
especially if theyblog, Tweet, or write about theirprocess. Seeking
out thesetypes of mentors, even if youdont interact with them
directly,can help you build your ownbusiness.