When to turn a hobby into a side job.

Like Cadillac said, be sure to look into local zoning laws. I know some cities won't allow businesses of any type to be run out of a residentially zoned property. Some places have accidentally written laws to that effect to curb AirBnB type vacation rentals from competing with hotels, but left it too broad. Should be an easy question at your city offices.
 
I actually fell into a quasi side job/business I had made a tool for personal use in my other hobby lapidary. It is a very simple concept but uses lots of metal working techniques. A lady was having trouble with the aspect the tool was used for so I volunteered to make a set of mine for her. She liked them so much that she wrote a review on a forum like this that we were members of. Since then I have had several orders for the product but i state before they order
"So a little about me I am a hobby machinist my equipment is just that hobby level so NASA specifications no... but I will fit everything prior to sending. That being said I am only human so if something does slip by me I will fix no questions asked forever (thats a lie, as long as I am alive and capable). "
I also tell them I am old and slow (which I am) so no rigid time frame. This being said I probably work for Chinesium wages but thats okay I'm retired.
When I get into a hobby I always keep a couple things in mind.
1. I do it for fun
2. I expect to spend a lot of money on it
If I try or turn it into a business it no longer is just fun. A hobby is just that and I don't expect to make a profit on it but maybe and I say maybe pay for some equipment .
 
I actually fell into a quasi side job/business I had made a tool for personal use in my other hobby lapidary. It is a very simple concept but uses lots of metal working techniques. A lady was having trouble with the aspect the tool was used for so I volunteered to make a set of mine for her. She liked them so much that she wrote a review on a forum like this that we were members of. Since then I have had several orders for the product but i state before they order
"So a little about me I am a hobby machinist my equipment is just that hobby level so NASA specifications no... but I will fit everything prior to sending. That being said I am only human so if something does slip by me I will fix no questions asked forever (thats a lie, as long as I am alive and capable). "
I also tell them I am old and slow (which I am) so no rigid time frame. This being said I probably work for Chinesium wages but thats okay I'm retired.
When I get into a hobby I always keep a couple things in mind.
1. I do it for fun
2. I expect to spend a lot of money on it
If I try or turn it into a business it no longer is just fun. A hobby is just that and I don't expect to make a profit on it but maybe and I say maybe pay for some equipment .

My story is a lot the same. With the advent of the Internet my device/gadget/accessory took on a life of its own and has more or less dragged me along for 33yrs now. It has made itself into my retirement because nobody I ever worked for had a retirement except a useless 401k and my SSI would barely cover being homeless.

I have always lived in unincorporated areas and my biz is online so as long as I'm not doing selling out of the house, no problem. But I never expected it to keep going and didn't do a huge upfront investment. Never took out any loans and unlike typical business my only plan was to provide the best service and best product I could for a fair price. Kinda the better mousetrap idea always relying solely on word of mouth. When the design was pretty much perfected after 20yrs the pro's discovered it and it jumped to full time. As demand would jump I was able to plow profits into automating and buying inexpensive Chinese machine tools to build my machines instead of farming it out. I also never planned on it getting so big I couldn't do it all myself. So everything has just dovetailed and overlapped nicely. But for someone who expects to charge in and throw a bunch of $$$ in the form of loans and farming out production were doomed to fail IMHO. And several who tried did. Patience, situational awareness and thrift have been what's kept me going.
 
I have turned at least 4 hobbies into businesses over the years with one resulting in a career in IT. All but one put money on the table when I needed it and the fourth I have been very careful to keep it at the level where it pays for toys that I could not or would not pay for from savings but no more. The hard part for me is to keep it at the level I want. No effort and any income goes away, more effort and it grows too much. As other have said when you let your hobby become a business, it can easy grow into a Job. This may be exactly what you want or need. but once it becomes a Job, it is not longer a hobby as you deal with accounting, taxes, deadlines, customer satisfaction etc. At the same time, having a hobby that can, will only a little extra effort pay for itself can be a way to afford the really cool toys.
 
I have turned at least 4 hobbies into businesses over the years with one resulting in a career in IT. All but one put money on the table when I needed it and the fourth I have been very careful to keep it at the level where it pays for toys that I could not or would not pay for from savings but no more. The hard part for me is to keep it at the level I want. No effort and any income goes away, more effort and it grows too much. As other have said when you let your hobby become a business, it can easy grow into a Job. This may be exactly what you want or need. but once it becomes a Job, it is not longer a hobby as you deal with accounting, taxes, deadlines, customer satisfaction etc. At the same time, having a hobby that can, will only a little extra effort pay for itself can be a way to afford the really cool toys.
That is very much what i would like to do. pick up small jobs doing the hobby i love and get extra cash to either play with my toys for personal reasons or just cash to put away for a rainy day. where i work i have no 401K either. This is why i ask for people's opinions that have gone and made that step of turning the hobby into a way for a little extra cash.
 
Turning a hobby into a little extra cash sounds good doesn't it. Persons who pay us generously for our hobby with a smile.
Aint gonna happen. Hobby versus business are diametrically opposed from the get-go. Happiness is committing to only one and doing that one right.
 
Print up some business cards.... Here is mine..... I get calls at least once a month for different types of jobs. I have a few friends, the manager of an Alro outlet store, and my LWS's manager pass out my cards.

Back
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Front
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plug........

This is my current customer project that I just received a few days ago. I have some aluminum tig welding to do.
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I mean this sincerely, I hope you can too.
 
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