TallTayl Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Has this happened to you too? Your hobby CAN remain a fun thing to do. Not everything needs to become a business or hustle. https://www.manrepeller.com/2019/02/trap-of-turning-hobbies-into-hustles.html?fbclid=IwAR0YLyw639q8M2hfoHfu57B5GwneZPaQA0wKj2DN5cnrgRT_4OLDsRzIXIk# 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franu61 Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Oh wow! I used to love to do embroidery...for FUN. I made lots of gifts for friends and family. Now I think " oh that probably won't sell". How did I get THERE? I need to just make something for FUN to give as a gift again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shari Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 What a great article. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TallTayl Posted April 4, 2019 Author Share Posted April 4, 2019 Part of the trap with things like candles and soap is people don’t give enough time to even figure out if they LIKE it long enough to HAVE to do it all day every day to make enough $ to stay viable as a business. It is just a job. A J.O.B.. Soap has become a chore to make versus a joy it once was. And candles. Sigh. Candles. changes to raw materials or supply chain cause the product to no longer work leaving us in an expensive and stressful position to find work arounds. Bills mount while our stress levels soar, all because someone told us we should sell them to make money. Once business expenses are tallied, insurance purchased, taxes, machines and tooling you’re lucky to break even after a few years. For all that work and risk you’re financially no better off. What a downer. Some things need need to be kept fun. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bfroberts Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Good read. Thanks for posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kandlekrazy Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 Great stuff! You do have to love it or it isn't worth the trials, lol. I always find it my zen time where I think of nothing else but working on candles, melts b&b so therapeutic for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted April 4, 2019 Share Posted April 4, 2019 I just applied for a business license and my photography will be for sale in the next few weeks. There were a couple of days last week when I wanted to call the whole thing off. I’m losing something, the simple joy of making art for art’s sake. But I’m also gaining the need to make my art better, a reason to try harder and to learn new things. I hope I’ve made the right choice, but it is too late to turn back now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Candybee Posted April 5, 2019 Share Posted April 5, 2019 Good read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilosCandles Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 For me I love the business side of it. I really could be doing anything / selling anything, I love the business side, growing it, pushing the limits. Finding new was to accomplish tasks, looking for efficiencies, and coming up with new ideas. Selling candles allows me to do other things that I enjoy. I am sure for many of you your passion is candles and selling them allows you to do more of it. For me selling candles allows me to do things associated with the logistics of a business. I am very creative, but not artistic at all. That is by far my biggest struggle. I am sure many of you have seen some of the things I created over the years, pics I posted. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintguru Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 7 hours ago, MilosCandles said: For me I love the business side of it. I really could be doing anything / selling anything, I love the business side, growing it, pushing the limits. Finding new was to accomplish tasks, looking for efficiencies, and coming up with new ideas. Selling candles allows me to do other things that I enjoy. I am sure for many of you your passion is candles and selling them allows you to do more of it. For me selling candles allows me to do things associated with the logistics of a business. I am very creative, but not artistic at all. That is by far my biggest struggle. I am sure many of you have seen some of the things I created over the years, pics I posted. This is why I'm interested in starting to sell as well, the business side of it. Being an engineer, my artistic side isn't great, but the idea of connecting everything together, figuring out the best way to do things, etc., along with making something people enjoy is the appeal. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah S Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 7 hours ago, MilosCandles said: For me I love the business side of it. I really could be doing anything / selling anything, I love the business side, growing it, pushing the limits. Finding new was to accomplish tasks, looking for efficiencies, and coming up with new ideas. Selling candles allows me to do other things that I enjoy. I am sure for many of you your passion is candles and selling them allows you to do more of it. For me selling candles allows me to do things associated with the logistics of a business. I am very creative, but not artistic at all. That is by far my biggest struggle. I am sure many of you have seen some of the things I created over the years, pics I posted. I feel like that's a pretty crucial distinction. Loving the business side of it and starting from that direction is different than having a hobby that turns into a business because you feel like you HAVE to. I imagine your business would be successful selling other items, as you said, because of your view of it. I admire that motivation! It's always interesting to hear different viewpoints. Personally, I don't particularly like the business end, so I purposefully sell just enough to keep myself challenged to improve while keeping the stress level low. For sure, this is not paying my bills! 😆 This article made me think of my "real job" and the "love what you do" adage. I love working in the fitness industry, but it certainly isn't the dream job that people assume. I hear a lot of "you get paid to work out", "you get to help people be healthy", "it looks like so much fun", and that's all true... But I'm exhausted all the time, I have chronic joint issues and pain, I have to listen to people whine and complain all day long, I spend unpaid hours practicing chorey and researching... So being passionate about what you get paid to do doesn't automatically make it enjoyable all the time, or easy, or mean that you don't have days when you feel like quitting. Work is still work, no matter how much you love it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Testing123 Posted April 24, 2019 Share Posted April 24, 2019 I started candle making with the sole intent of making it a business. I don't regret it, even though I underestimated the capital I'd need. Candle business is EXPENSIVE. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forrest Posted May 9, 2019 Share Posted May 9, 2019 An update on my situation with respect to this topic. I am now officially a professional photographer/graphic artist. I was dragged into it half willingly and half against my will. I have lost my hobby, but I have gained something more. There is no longer any “good enough” in my work, t has to be the best I can make it. I’m also driven to learn more about photography and Photoshop. I don’t know if I’ll ever sell another picture, but I know that this time next year I’ll be much better at my craft. Fortunately I still have candle making for a hobby, although I do plan to try and sell a few of my inked tureens. I only want to do this because I want a reason to make more of them, and how many candles can I burn? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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