We all have passions and hobbies outside of work, things we do because we love them. Sometimes these activities earn us additional income. But, most of the time, we only hope that these passions will manifest themselves into a full-time career.
Adam Bianco, the founder of @OhioStFootball and Sports Foodie, recently left his full-time job to pursue his love of sports, food and social media consulting. By honing in on his passion, determining there was a market fit and building a community, Adam turned his hobbies into an income.
Today, @OhioStFootball has 217,000 Twitter followers and, with over 12,000 Instagram followers, Sports Foodie is following suite.
Adam joined us for this week’s #SproutChat to offer advice and discuss how he turned his passion into his livelihood.
Evaluate Your Market
Your love of gingham may define you, but how do you make money by blogging about why it’s such a wonderful fabric? If your plan is to build a profitable and sustainable business, you need to understand if there are already others out there pursuing projects that are the same or similar. With the saturation of content on the Internet, save your time and fully vet the benefits of your venture before getting started.
Determine how you can offer a unique perspective and provide a new value to your audience. Consult industry experts, co-workers, friends and family. Maintain an objective point of view and don’t let your emotional tie to an idea steer your end goals.
A2: One you think you've found your niche…Go to GoDaddy, right away! #GetThatDomain #SproutChat.
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A2: With @TheSportsFoodie, I started a social media account (on Insta) to test the market and it took off #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A2. Go looking for others with your same interests. Make as many friends and connections as possible, you'll know right away. #sproutchat
— Taylor Bennett (@tchazbennett) February 3, 2016
A2c Another great test is just getting opinions from coworkers, friends. Ask them to be frank. Don't forget – truthworthy ones! #sproutchat
— Terry Lo (@calgarydreamer) February 3, 2016
A2. Ultimately, does your passion solve a problem AND would people pay for it. Research, ask around, does anyone else do it? #sproutchat
— Kapil (@KapilJekishan) February 3, 2016
A2) Best way is to just try. Start small. Look for one freelance job and see if you can build from that. #SproutChat
— Josh Schweigert (@joshschweigert) February 3, 2016
Build Your Brand by Building Your Community
Once you have a business angle, establish a presence by building a community on social. Start small and focus on brand recognition. The initial stages of community building should focus on encouraging social media engagement and be comprised of intimate conversations in which you truly develop a relationship with your fans. Grow by fostering relationships with influencers and collaborate with others within your subject area.
A3: Connect with other influencers, follow/engage people talking about your topic #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A3: 2 types of engagement: reactive (users engaging w/ you) & proactive (seeking out users & convos). Got to do both #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A3: Go organic aka authentic and engage your community like you water your plants; daily! #SproutChat
— Wayne Hendry (@ideakid88) February 3, 2016
A3: Be someone people want to connect with. Don't be a robot (but you can do the robot) #sproutchat pic.twitter.com/WsK5r9WkQO
— Searcy Sledge (@SearcySledge) February 3, 2016
A3. Be consistent.
Be relevant.
Be sincerely helpful.…and join chats like ~> #sproutchat
— rubyrusine (@SocialSMktg) February 3, 2016
Don’t Neglect the Power of Offline Interactions
While social is the easiest and least expensive way to develop a community, there is incredible value in connecting in-person. Meeting face to face breeds trust that online interaction can’t achieve in the same way. Understanding someone’s body language, cadence and general disposition will lend to a stronger bond and better communication. Private groups on social channels or Slack groups are another great ways to foster intimacy and encourage your followers to connect with each other too.
A4: Not every business is a natural fit for Social Media or all platforms. Find networks that make most sense #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A4: I meet most new business either Consulting or @TheSportsFoodie through old fashion conversations & networking #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A4: Definitely not the ONLY way. Or even the best way, depending on industry, audience. But it certainly helps. #sproutchat
— Roxanne Roark (@RoxanneRoark) February 3, 2016
A4: Definitely not. Face-to-face event can be effective to gather people around a passion, along with other channels #sproutchat
— Aaron Lumnah (@aaronlumnah) February 3, 2016
A4: It will always depend on the particular product or service but "people will always buy from people they like" #sproutchat
— Paul Slater (@Mushcado) February 3, 2016
Set Yourself up for Success
Before pursuing your passions full-time, consider all of your responsibilities and options. Assess your longterm financial goals, map out your desired career trajectory, consider your personal health and take in account any of your dependents. When leaving an established organization to build something from scratch, make sure to continue practicing self care and do not overlook the mental and physical impact the transition may have. Allow yourself certain liberties that will make it easier to progress in the same way you would at a larger organization.
A6. If you can't imagine yourself doing anything else, but improving, and really enjoy what you do. The real-life A/B test. #sproutchat
— Nikki Fica (@NikkiFica) February 3, 2016
A6. If someone offers to hire you.
Seriously, I work in the field of one of my passions and develop my other on my own time. #SproutChat
— Teri Kojetin (@TeriMKojetin) February 3, 2016
A6) It's math. How much does passion project earn per hour? How many hours of work can you get? What is min acceptable salary? #SproutChat
— Josh Schweigert (@joshschweigert) February 3, 2016
A6: Simple version, is it making money OR are you forecasted to make money and have enough to get by till then #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A6: it’s always difficult to take that step, but if it’s your passion & it’s viable you won’t regret it #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A6: Sometimes the only way to learn how to swim is if you get tossed in the deep end. #PullTheTrigger #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A6: I've been seeking out so many free classes to learn the skills I never was taught i.e. proper budgeting, legal, taxes, etc. #sproutchat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
A6: As a small business owner you have to do EVERYTHING! Ask questions, seek advice and never stop hustling #SproutChat
— Adam Bianco (@Adam_Bianco) February 3, 2016
Join us next week on Wednesday at 2 p.m. CST for #SproutChat. We will be discussing Social Ads for B2B with Special Guest Ian Mackie, Director of Social Media Advertising at Point It. Be sure to check out our Facebook Group to receive weekly chat notifications and further connect with the community.
This post #SproutChat Recap: Turning Your Passion Into Your Livelihood originally appeared on Sprout Social.
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