by The Happy WAHM
In 11 days, I’ll be conducting the second run of my#hobbiestobusiness workshop. A workshop on making money out of a hobby, which I conducted for the first time in August 2016.
Last night, as I was cleaning up my digital folders, I came across an old photo. The one where it all started. My first crochet project.
From this sampling of stitches that was made into a purse and several failed attempts to hand-knit, to creating a brand and registering as a business, I can proudly say that I’ve come a long way. The flower button in the photo was not by me, but something that my daughter – the one who inspired me to start crocheting – made for me, just so I could post a finished project. This was in May 2015.
After that simple purse, I went ahead and made myself a tablet pouch. I was able to start and almost finished it while lining up for my daughter’s enrollment at De La Salle. This was still in May 2015.
To practice, I made this ribbed scarf for my dear friend in Canada, and proudly posted it on my social media accounts.
From then on, inquiries started to come in. And I started accepting orders. Scarf in the photo below was my first official order, but alas, I could not charge for it, because I got the pattern from a site that expressly states that projects from the pattern cannot be sold. So I just asked for reimbursement of the cost of yarn used and the shipping fee.
In June, I launched my Crafted Crafts website.
I bought the domain name for another purpose, but when I started crocheting, I just went ahead and set up the site.
The project that followed was a simple scarf. I got two skeins of yarns from my daughter’s collection from Gantsilyo Guru. I used the stitch that I was most comfortable with, the mighty DC, and used the redundant stitching to practice my tension. I was able to sell this scarf to a friend, and she ordered one more. I made her a two-toned infinity scarf, which I named after her. 🙂
Other “practice” projects followed. Including a scoodie…
… a mesh scarf…
… and a pair of slippers.
Before 2015 ended, I have served about 7 more paid orders. Among those orders is this chakra scoodie.
And this Minimalist Scarf for men. For this one, I used the awesome SC all throughout, 7.5 inches wide, 72 inches long. I was really making money out of my hobby!
Turns out, men dig scarves, as I received 4 more orders of that Minimalist Scarf afterwards. I was on a roll!
Everything just got better from there. I have since graduated to making projects using multistrand yarns (which is really a challenge for a newbie crocheter) and have sold a number of lacy projects in the past months and several more on queue.
I registered the business in July 2016, and got verified by Facebook just a few months after that.
My story can be your story, too.
You may have a hobby that is actually sucking up a portion of your family budget, so why not make it self-sufficient? Or better yet, turn it into a business, just like I did.
Or you may have a skill that could be income-generating, but have been doing for friends and family for free. Like organizing events, scheduling travels, designing invitations… Those are skills that properly packaged, can be launched into a business.
The challenge is where and how to start. And this is where I can help you.
It has not been easy for me. I learned to crochet at the time that there are about a thousand crocheters competing for projects already. The industry is filled with skilled crocheters and artists, and neither of those descriptions aptly apply to me.
What I did have was a process. That was is my skill. I know how to build a personal brand, and I used that to build my own following that is not based on quantity, but on quality.
Join me on January 21 and find out how you, too, can earn by doing what you love, and create a brand with who you are.
And of course, the learning will not end on that day. All attendees of the workshop – past and future – will become members of the Hobbies to Business Community that we already have on Facebook, where like-minded individuals get to lend support to each other.
Read what some attendees of the first run have to say…
For this second run, we are grateful for the support that we have from the following brands:
The Parenting Emporium, for providing a fabulous venue for learning.
Faber-Castell Philippines, for loot bag items, and they will also set up a booth at the venue.
Cool-C, for providing healthy and refreshing drinks for both sessions.
VASupportPro and The Techie Mom, for offering a 50% discount on web hosting (first year) to be avaialble within 3 months from date of workshop.
Katsa Co., for loot bag items.
Mrs. Gee’s Homemade Goodness, for providing mouthwatering cupcakes for both sessions.
JinStitches, for sponsoring crocheted bears for raffle to early registrants.
More sponsors are coming in, so stay tuned as I update this post, and the workshop’s homepage.
Register now!
by The Happy WAHM
Hobbies to business, is it even possible?
The answer is a resounding YES!
I know, because I’ve done it, and you can do it, too!
Just as I’ve been able to create a career from our humble home, I have yet again succeeded in creating an income stream from a hobby that I only started to de-stress – crocheting.
Gosh, I didn’t even know I had in it me. Like I never crocheted in my life! And then one day, I found myself trying to learn it, and once I learned the basics, I was hooked! Pun intended.
And I’m the last person on earth who would call me creative. When I was still trying to figure out how we would survive with just my husband’s income, with a pile of debt and three very young kids, I considered doing desktop publishing. This was at the time that I was already doing transcription, but of course what I was earning from transcription was just enough to cover utilities expense. And because I have a supportive family, and a circle of very supportive friends, I did receive a number of orders for business cards, invitations and letterheads.
But alas! It was not something that I could really do long term. I would spend hours designing (if you could even call it that) and spend more hours revising, editing, and most of the time, completely changing my work. I went through a lot of unproductive hours before I admitted to myself, and to the world, that no, I can’t make a living out of desktop publishing or anything that has to do with graphics or design.
So I went on to assess my skills, my God-given talent, my passion.
And discovered I have a knack for organization, process flow, building up on ideas, creating opportunities, and meddling coaching. 🙂
Yup! I meddle a lot. Poking my nose on other people’s business. Trying to be helpful. Although my clients see that as a welcome initiative. 🙂
That’s how I built my career as a virtual professional. By finding my core and working on my purpose.
I’m very comfortable where I am now as a virtual assistant. You wouldn’t believe the nights I spent worrying about losing a client because a lot of people have joined the bandwagon. It seemed like everybody wanted to leave corporate to escape the daily horrors of traffic, be able to be hands-on moms, keep flexible hours, and do what they want with their time. And because a lot of them don’t have experience, they were charging in disrespectful rates.
But guess what? A lot of them left the race just as quickly as they came.
Reasons?
- They are not earning enough to make a difference.
- Time management is a challenge.
- They lack most of the skills their clients need.
- The hours are not what they thought would be flexible.
- No job security.
- No benefits.
And I have to agree with all those.
Virtual assistance is stressful.
It’s worse than being in corporate, actually. When you are left to operate on your own, how much you earn is based solely on how hard and and how smart you work. No assurance of a salary bi-monthly. Heck, there’s not even an assurance that you’d still have a client next month.
That’s why I had to take on a hobby. I.HAD.TO. To keep my sanity in check.
But even in choosing a hobby, I had to be practical. I didn’t want something that I would have to spend on. So I decided to try to learn crochet, because we already have an impressive inventory of yarns.
After I posted a photo of my first completed project on Facebook, inquiries came in. Inquiries turned to orders, and the rest is history.
I have since created a website, a Facebook page, and ta-da! I have gone ahead and registered the business!
Hobbies to business? Yes, it is possible!
But… but… but… HOW?
Well, it did not happen overnight. I did not merely wish for it to happen. I went through a process.
And you know what’s the hardest part?
To get started. That’s what.
And this is where I want to meddle again. To help you answer these questions:
- Where do you want to go with your hobby?
- Would you still enjoy your hobby once you have turned it to a business?
- What are the different ways you can turn your hobby into a business?
- Everybody says you need to make a plan. What are the steps in making one?
- Can you sell what you can create?
- You don’t have a target market, how do you create one?
And it will not stop there.
Relationships matter.
My vision is to be able to create a support community for like-minded souls who are ready to act on their dreams of turning their hobbies to business.
I want to connect people so we can build a support network along the way. Collaboration instead of competition. Suppliers, merchants, affiliates… the whole nine yards. Maybe even partnerships.
And this will begin on August 27, at The Parenting Emporium in New Manila.
Check out the page now and register early. This one is going to be awesome!
[photo credit: pixabay]
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
by The Happy WAHM
And indulge, I will!
I’m just so happy to have met Sheila and Jherae, the ladies who introduced me to Sugar-Free yarns.
And I will forever be grateful to my dear friend, Regina, for introducing me to these lovely artistic women.
When I learned how to crochet, the only yarn I knew was Red Heart. We have a large bin full of Red Heart SuperSaver yarns that my brother brought home from the US. And then there’s the milk cotton variety that I buy from an online seller. But they’re kind of expensive for a WAHM hobbyist from a single income household.
When I met Sheila and Jherae, they introduced me to a whole new world of yarns. From them I learned how to choose the right type of yarn for certain projects, and how to substitute the imported yarns with what’s locally available. From them I learned how to discern what hook size to use for certain yarn weight, or what hook type works best with a particular yarn type.
Sheila and Jherae are fiber artists. Their passion is on creating yarn mixes that any avid crocheter would love to work with. They turn boring to exciting, bland to colorful and blah to wow! They work their magic on every strand. I’ve seen them make a plain white yarn turn into a rainbow. And their finished projects… just wow!
My only complaint is that they do have the temperament of artists, too. 🙂
My first experience with the Sugar-Free mix was not that good. As a beginner in crochet, I just couldn’t get all the threads together most of the time. I was getting frustrated and wanted to forget about using the mixes. Why punish myself when I can always use thicker yarns, right? All I had to do was go to another supplier. I’ve been buying online from a reputable yarn seller, and really happy doing business with her.
But I was drawn to the story behind Sugar-Free. Sheila has a very young diabetic son, and she named her yarn mixes Sugar-Free for him. She said every single cent that she earns from her yarns goes to her son’s medications. So I started buying her mixes as my way of supporting her business.
Actually, I buy from Jherae most of the time, and Jherae gets her raw materials from Sheila, so in a way, I get to support two fellow working moms.
Truth be told, I have yet to finish one project using multi-strand yarns. But there is hope. I’m not giving up. I have to walk my talk and be a good example to my children.
Here, look!
That’s a Sugar-Free yarn, and I’m learning to do the broomstick lace with it.
By the way, the knitting needle that you see is a DIY project of my husband. I’m still waiting for the knitting needle I bought from Amazon, so I’m learning with a homemade needle for now.
And here’s another unfinished project…
There are more of those works-in-progress that I’m hoping to find time to finish. But yeah, finish them, I will.
But I don’t want to stop there.
I also want to mix my own yarns.
Below is my very first mix.
And below is my middlechild’s color mix, which she calls the Powerpuff.
Creating fiber mixes is not easy, I’m finding out. From choosing the right combination of colors to making sure they weigh just right, it’s all hard work. We wind multiple strands together on a manual winder to create a mix. It’s a lot of fun, yes, but can be pretty tiring, too. And if you have allergies, forget about winding. And no, I am not complaining.
I am beyond thrilled about this new venture. Never dreamed I’d be in the creative business!
Who am I kidding? Of course I dreamed of being in a creative business! I even started a desktop publishing business, remember? I’m just more of a realist, so I’ve accepted long ago that my creativity is in raising creative children.
But yeah…I am way beyond thrilled! My hobby is taking me to new heights. And my husband remains to be my staunchest supporter, setting up my workstation beside the laundry area, making me a photobox (which I have yet to try using) and committing to be my driver when we have to go pick up inventory.
Again, here is proof that you can always create income opportunities around your passion and your skills. It’s just a matter of knowing what you are good at, what you are happy doing and what people are willing to pay for.
Do come and visit my Facebook book for this crafty venture, Crafted Crafts, and of course the website.
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
by The Happy WAHM
It’s two in two! Two sites in two weeks! Can’t get any better than this.
This site has been around since last year, but only during my goalsetting in November did I really get to internalize on its purpose. I bought the domain early in the year, wanting to use it as my ‘pay-it-forward’ kind of site. I wanted to create an online resource for WAHMs and WAHDs (or WAHM and WAHD wannabes) where they can either get ideas, or offer ideas. And then for a while, I decided to turn it into my coaching site, but later changed my mind again, because I felt that the coaching is a big part of what I do, hence it should be with MargeAberásturi.com.
So in December, I collaborated with Chasing Dreams on the design to get the site off hibernation. This site was actually our first, but as you well know by now, my personal biz site made it to launch date first. In terms of content, I was simply more ready with the business site.
This was the mock up of the logo.
And this is the final output. I requested for the Sketch Block font to make it identifiable with TheHappyWAHM.
Last night, hoping to make it two in two, I worked overtime to just put a couple of products in the shop and set up the directory pages.
The main focus of the site is to encourage entrepreneurship among women, and men, who stay home. I wish to have guest posts from anyone who’d like to share a hobby or an idea that has the potential of becoming a profitable business, just like the first post, How To Make Mango Puree. Incidentally, that was written by a man, so while the WAHM in the site title means work-at-home mom, it can also be easily referred to as work-at-home man.
I also have a page for partner sites, and these are the ones who responded to my call on Facebook last year, on who would want to get listed on my still-inactive site. And I’m so grateful to them, because they trusted me that much.
The Shop page is a showcase of my affiliate marketing stream. I’ve been doing affiliate marketing for two or three years, I guess, but it’s only now that I decided to have them in one place. Affiliate marketing is a good income stream, if you know how to do it right, and this is one of the topics that I will share in my February 28 VA Business Success Workshop. Since I’ve been asked to share my blueprint for my virtual assistance success, I find it important to share how to create other income streams out of the niche that I have chosen to pursue.
The site is still considered under construction, but I wanted to get it out there already. Everyday is a great day to get something started, so why not today?
I hope you will drop by, and again, if you have an idea and you don’t know what to do with it, let’s talk! I may be able to help you turn it into a profitable venture.
Do you have questions, comments or feedback about this post?
Please leave me a message, or post them, at my Facebook Page.
by The Happy WAHM
It’s a happy day today!
Well, I really make it a point to choose happiness every single day. But today is a bit extra special. I spent my weekend creating opportunities while chaperoning my eldest child. Yeah, that’s me in the photo, taken by my youngest child, at some parking lot, with my laptop, typing away my ideas for a new service offering.
We’ve been a one-income household for the past five months now, and so far, so good. Well, budgeting remains a challenge, as it will always be. But I’ve been managing our finances for so long that keeping a watchful eye has been the norm.
But while I’ve been successful at budgeting what we have, I still need to add to my income so I can resume adding to our college and retirement funds. We sort of hit a bump with this part of the financial equation, and I have to work doubly hard to get back on track.
So my Saturday was spent building up on my idea, and part of Sunday was spent putting it on my webpage. It’s still a work in progress, and I know it’s not much to look at, but I am not one to procrastinate when I set my mind on something. I’ll improve on it over time. But the important thing now is to get the word out.
So what is it, anyway?
Do you ever find yourself reading an article, or a blog, or even a brochure, and proofread it while you go?
I am that kind of person. I read something, and in my mind, I insert a punctuation, put a hyphen, check the spelling, correct the grammar… you get the idea. And then I go ahead and send a message to the concerned person, when I can. “Hey, _____, you wrote _____ instead of _____. Should be _____.”
It’s not to offend, but to help out. And I do it in private, of course. Thankfully, these people appreciate what I do. And these people, they know how to do it correctly anyway. It’s just that people who are too close to something are not seeing that something as clearly as someone else would from afar. The easiest to overlook are the most common, I’ve observed. And so, this idea.
My Start-Up WAHM venture is now formally offering proofreading and editing services.
So, you ask me: What right have you to offer that service? What are your credentials?
I don’t have a degree, for sure. What I do have is a good head between my shoulders, a set of eyes for detail, a ton of patience to go over anyone’s material, and a lifetime of experience. As far as professional experience goes, I’ve been doing this for my client for quite some time now. I’ve proofread more than a hundred blog post entries in his site/s and more than a dozen of his books and programs since I’ve joined his business, one of which is now a New York Times bestseller and where my name was even mentioned in the acknowledgement page, so I’m pretty confident that I can deliver.
Again, the page is still a work in progress, but I wanted my readers to know about it first, and know about it today, a Monday, a day I claim to be the beginning of another great week.
So please check it out. Send me an inquiry if you please. I’m open to negotiations for mommy bloggers. And will really appreciate you helping me get the word out.
Thank you very much in advance, and happiness all around!
