December 21, 2016 / Jenny Kerr

How I Turned My Hobby into An Income Stream (in more than one way)

I want to start off by telling you a little about my story (I won’t go into all the details, you can read my about me page if you want to know more) and how this blog got started. 10 years ago, I had been laid off 3 times and fired once over a two-year period. In short, that time in my life sucked. However, I learned many valuable lessons which gave me the motivation and the tools to start TheJennyPincher.com.

I had no idea what I was doing when I got started as a blogger. I actually did not even like writing back then. But I felt I had a lot to say & saw blogging as a way to get my message out. I do not have an IT degree (my undergrad degree is in Agriculture!) nor any formal training. However, what I did have was a lot of curiosity and quite a bit of time on my hands (since I was not working) so I dove in.

I would spend hours upon hours messing around with code on my website to see what would happen. Blogging wasn’t what it is today back then and there wasn’t a ton of blogs out there (especially not for single women which is why I started JennyPincher). I got even more curious and I spent even more time on it and had fun doing it! It was like a big puzzle or mystery to me and I enjoyed fitting it all together. I read other blogs, learned more things and failed and succeeded at many things. All the while, I still really enjoyed “playing” with my blog (and I still do 10 years later).

So why am I telling you this? Because this natural curiosity I had about this blog is what lead me to a 7-year career as an IT consultant with no formal IT training or IT degree. That’s just the tip of the iceberg of things I’ve done as a result of my blog hobby. Here are some of the cool things I’ve done:

· I hosted a podcast for about a year called The Smart Girl’s Guide to Life & Money on iTunes
· I had a pilot for a reality TV show submitted
· I created a Budget Bootcamp & a few ebooks
· In addition to this blog, I’m also a career & lifestyle design coach (all while working a full time job!)
· I’ve been featured on numerous blogs, podcasts and around the internet over the past 10 years since I started my blog

I know there’s a lot more things that I’ve done over the past 10 years that I’m forgetting, but in addition to having my source of income come from what I learned about this blog, I’ve also been able to make extra money from this site through various sponsorships, product sales, affiliate income & my coaching program.

How’s that for amazing? I took a hobby, learned some skills and used those skills to get a six -figure job! In addition, I also earn more money from the hobby. I’m telling you all of this because you can do it to.

Do you have a hobby or something you enjoy doing outside your normal job? If you do and you’re not already getting paid from it, let’s change that! You may be thinking, “There’s no way I can make money from my hobby.” But let’s dream here and not limit ourselves. I can tell you that when I started 10 years ago, I never would have dreamed I would end up where I am today. And guess what, that’s part of the fun!

I just kept chasing what I enjoyed doing and what is fun for me! I love doing it so much, I couldn’t quit if I tried (and trust me I’ve tried.)

How great it would be if you could make money from the one thing that you actually choose to do when you have free time. What could possibly be better than that?

Jenny Kerr, the JennyPincher

Hi, I’m Jenny, the creator and owner of the website The Jenny Pincher. For the past 10 years, my website has been a resource for professional women who want practical advice on getting out of debt, building wealth & designing a life they love.