Ep 297: Why business ownership makes a LOUSY hobby.

Now we're going to have some fun , so let's get started Now we're going to have some fun , so let's get started .

Today we're going to talk about it because so many of you are unknowingly turning your business into a hobby , or you actually really just wanted a hobby and you started a business , and we're going to talk about why that's a lousy idea . Like , don't do that . And here's why .

And the good news is , I'm going to share with you why business ownership is actually so amazing and such an awesome career and not a hobby . If you are new here , welcome . I'm so glad that you have found this podcast . I have no doubt it's going to help you along your business journey .

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We're going to talk about what makes business ownership a lousy hobby , so you can finally discern whether you are actually building a business , which is a career even if it's just part-time , even if it's just on the side , it could be a part-time career or a full-time career or if you're building a hobby . And I think this is the biggest problem .

Like in general , when people think of starting a business , they're like super excited about it and they just want to get going . They have their idea , they want to start selling it and I'm going to be honest , some of you just really wanted a hobby . You didn't really want what it means to have a business , and that's not to scare you .

You're probably like , well , great , maybe I just do want a hobby , maybe I don't really want a business . No , I know that you want a career that's fulfilling

and impactful and actually makes money right . You want a career that pays you and some of you have dreams of , you know , maybe starting this business on the side and then going part-time and then even full-time with it . I have clients that are able to do that and it's so amazing to watch what they have done .

They have a vision , they start small , they start strategically . If you listen to last week's episode , I talked about how to play big even though you're starting small . So make sure you listen to that episode 29 business as a part-time career . I don't even want to say job , because it's not a job . It's a career that you're choosing . Okay .

But here is why business ownership makes a lousy , lousy , lousy hobby . Okay , I want you to know the difference between the two so that you can make a conscious decision . So business ownership makes a lousy hobby . Number one , because it's tech-heavy and time-consuming .

Some type of accountability , either through your website , through email , maybe you just deal with customers by texting them . I've had service providers that do that . They will just work on text and do it that way .

Whatever it is , it's time-consuming and you have to be communicating with people and presenting quotes or offers somehow online through a website , through an Etsy store , whatever it is . It is taking time away from your life by having a business because you have to work on the tech side of it . So there's tech involved somehow and it can be time consuming .

You may be setting up email again , websites systems , and it can be time consuming . You may be setting up email again , websites systems , payments . It's a lot more than just creating for fun , okay . The second reason it makes a lousy hobby is you have to regularly market your stuff . Nobody wants to do that really .

I mean , when it comes down to it , who really wants to market ? I mean , maybe you do to market . I mean , maybe you do . Maybe you would love to just go out there and tell everyone about your business . If you do , I think it's amazing . I'm going to be honest . I would love it if I could just sit here and orders came in .

And I will tell you when I had my online boutiques and when I started them in 2003 is when I started the first one all I had to do was get ranked on Google and then I did have repeat buyers that had bought from us at shows .

But orders would come in , but I had to do a little bit of marketing , and that was SEO optimization so that I was findable on Google . But it was so much simpler . I'm going to be really honest . It was so much simpler back in the day . Don't you hate that when older people say that to you ?

Like grandparents , great-grandparents , like back in the day , it was totally simple , it was y'all . I'm not even kidding . And here's the scary thing . We're going to think today was the good old days , the simple days .

Do y'all realize that , like later , in like 30 years , you're going to be like , yeah , back in 2025 , when I was building a business , everything was so simple . You're going to be like , yeah , back in 2025 , when I was building a business , everything was so simple .

Ai was just on the cusp and it was like starting to blow up and people were learning to use it . I mean , can you imagine ? Okay , anyways , you have to regularly market your stuff . You're going to have to keep up with something .

Whether you're on Instagram , a podcast , youtube channel , speaking locally , networking with people locally , whatever it is , you will have to be marketing your stuff . If you have a hobby , you get to just make it in the privacy of your own home and you don't have to market to anybody .

You don't have to do any of the tech stuff time-consuming , backend , email , website systems , payments , any of that and you don't really . You don't need to market your stuff . You can just like , make it and just be proud , right ? That's the difference , right ?

Here's why business ownership makes a lousy hobby is that you're responsible for the money going in , coming in and going out , coming in and going out . With a hobby , all you have to worry about is like how much money am I spending on all my supplies or whatever it is that you're doing ?

You don't have to worry about the money coming in , because that's not the deal . The deal is it's a hobby and we're just sinking money into it , but a business . You're responsible for the money coming in and out . Do y'all hear me ? This is what you're responsible for , and so many of you just want to ignore that .

You want to treat it like a hobby and ignore the money you do . You either ignore the expenses or you are able to like , easily spend on the tech and all the things that you want , but you kind of ignore the incoming revenue because you're scared , you're embarrassed , you don't want to look at the numbers , right .

So , with business ownership , being responsible for the money is a big part of it , and that's why it makes a lousy hobby , because with hobbies , you don't want to be responsible for the money , right , right . The fourth reason is you don't get to just do it whenever you're in the mood or feel like it .

You don't get to just work on this on a whim , right . You have to actually be present on some type of regular basis for your clients , for your customers for the delivery of your products or services , your customers for the delivery of your products or services .

Maybe you just have to work at night or whatever it is on your own time , but in general , you have to be checking in . You have to be checking in if you know there's orders coming in that you need to ship or something went wrong . And I just want to make sure that you realize that you don't just get to do it when you feel like it .

Hobbies are amazing because you can . You can be sad on a Sunday afternoon and go do it . You can be in a great mood on a day and do it right , but with your business it's not like that . It is not like that . You have to be accountable and you can't just do it when you feel like it , okay .

The fifth reason is you're going to have to learn stuff you might not love . Do you realize that Prices , taxes , marketing strategy , email funnels it isn't just arts and crafts time , it isn't just like learning mode time , it isn't just creation time , creative time , it isn't any of that .

I mean , it is , it is that , but it's not 100% of the time that you have to learn stuff you might not love . Okay , and most people tell me , most business owners tell me there's a certain part of their business they just don't like and that's what we usually outsource .

But that's why it doesn't make a good hobby , because there's stuff that you have to do , that you don't want to do , and with hobbies you can just do whatever you want to do , right , whatever you want to do it right . The sixth reason is you need thick skin . Sometimes you will get rejected by a client or customer .

You will do something wrong and you will have to apologize . You will ship the wrong product or do whatever and you just I don't know . Sometimes it can just be like an ego deflator I don't know what else to call

it , because you might get on Instagram and you might do something to share your business and nobody likes it , nobody comments , nobody's doing anything . You're not getting traction . You have to have thick skin . You have to be focused on the mission that you're on and the people that you want to serve . You have to realize that .

Okay , but with a hobby , you don't have to have thick skin . You can just make something and look at it and adore it and you can give it away as gifts and and you don't really have to worry about it . Okay , that's why it's not a good hobby . Okay . The seventh reason is you need to make strategic decisions .

Like , you have to be smart about what you're doing . This is what I talk about all the time are simple strategies and with a business , you have to do that . That's why it makes a terrible hobby , because with hobbies , you don't really have to make strategic decisions .

Your biggest decisions are if you're making something with your hand should I go to Michael's or should I go to some other craft store like Hobby Lobby , or should I order on Amazon ? Or if you are just doing something for people that you know and helping them in some way . You don't have to be real strategic about it . Know and helping them in some way .

You don't have to be real strategic about it . You can just gift your services . You can just show up and help people . It feels really good , whereas with a business , you are going to actually have to make strategic decisions . You're going to have to plan things , test things , evolve your business . You can't just wing it forever , right ?

Okay , so the eighth thing is people actually expect you to be a professional , and when you're a hobbyist , you can just do stuff whenever you want . You can be sloppy , you can be imperfect Although I believe you are imperfect all the time in your business . You're constantly use manners . You have to speak well .

You can't just be like eating food on the phone when you're talking to them , and you need to look decent when you're on camera . If you're on Zoom , right . You have to be professional . Professional in your emails , professional in when you talk to them . Professional when money is involved Right . People want to know that they can trust you , right ?

So people expect professionalism . So that's why it makes a really lousy hobby , because you can just spend the money however you want and you're not accountable to anybody . You can just do whatever you want . It's amazing .

So the ninth reason this is the final one , this is the final reason why business ownership makes makes a lousy hobby is that you can burn out if you don't take it seriously . It's true , if you don't take your business seriously , you can burn out . And what do I mean by this ?

Taking your business seriously means knowing what you should be doing , that you're good at . Knowing , maybe , what to outsource or when to outsource things .

When things start feeling heavy and you are overwhelmed and you feel yourself kind of burning out , you have to have somewhere else to delegate those tasks so you don't get burnout , so you can focus more on what you love .

Whereas with a hobby , you're probably not going to burn out because you're going to just do it when you want and you are just going to be in a good mood that you know you're just being a good mood . You're gonna be a good mood working on your hobby . So have I convinced you yet that business ownership makes a lousy hobby ?

I mean , I'm definitely convinced . Okay , it's tech heavy sometimes and time consuming . You have to regularly market your stuff . You're responsible for money going in and out . You don't get to do it just when you feel like it . You'll have to learn stuff that you don't love at all .

You need thick skin , you need to make strategic decisions Like you can't just wing it forever , right ? You've got to be professional when you're dealing with people and money , and you have a chance of burning out if you don't treat it seriously .

Okay , so if you're treating your business like a hobby , it's probably not going to give you the joy or income you were hoping for . But here's the good news you can treat it like a business , and that's what I teach in all of my coaching , my programs and everything . And here's why owning a business is so much more amazing and exhilarating than a hobby .

Okay , when you treat it as such . Okay , number one it's purpose-driven , not just pleasure-driven . I think when we have hobbies , it's more about pleasure . It's just bringing you joy . You're just doing that . But with a business , you have a bigger purpose .

Okay , now , as a side note , you could have a non , a nonprofit , that is based on some kind of hobby or something that you want to do . That's also purpose-driven . But even nonprofits are working with money and all that I spoke of above . So , again , a business is purpose-driven , and that's what's so cool about it

is that you have so much more purpose in what you're doing right . The second reason is you actually get to build a career and make money doing what you love , even if it's part-time . You get to build a career . How awesome is that ? A fulfilling and impactful career with a business . It's so amazing getting paid to do something you actually enjoy .

Yes , please , right . Number three you get to grow as a person . You are growing in ways you never expected . I talk about this all the time . You you grow in ways of confidence , right , and more confidence in yourself .

You grow in ways of clarity , like clarity on what your goals are and what you should be doing to make a difference , and courage to show up in ways that you never thought you could . You're learning new skills that you never thought you would know . You grow as a person when you are a business owner in so many ways , right . You expand all of your abilities .

It's the coolest thing . God has given you so many gifts and I truly believe a lot of us aren't tapping in fully to those things and with a business , you get to use those gifts and grow as a person . The fourth reason why a business is so awesome is that you can build something that lasts . How cool is this ? Now , hobbies , right , your love for whatever .

That is like . If I love photography or fitness or whatever . Yes , I mean it does last through my life . But a business has more ripple effects on other people .

I would say , right , could be your family , could be your friends , the example that you show , the tenacity that you display , your drive , your self-discipline , and then also how you make people's lives better . The ripple effects just kind of are widespread .

I do think you can have hobbies and things that are purposeful for you and maybe your family , but I think your business is so much more far-reaching , which is really cool . And let me say too , I'm not discounting hobbies , I love hobbies , hobbies are amazing . I'm just saying that you shouldn't treat the business as such .

These are two totally different things , right ? The fifth reason why owning a business is so awesome is that it creates opportunities for your life , for your family , to see like what's possible and for hiring people . Right , even me hired my sister-in-law for many years .

I've had a friend that worked for me for gosh several years and other people that have worked for me . It's really cool . I've created opportunities and I've created opportunities to just make a difference , right . And the sixth reason is you find a deeper joy .

There's joy in making a difference in this world through a business and building a career at the same time . Business ownership is hard . It's not easy , I'm not even going to lie . It stretches you , but it's so worth it y'all . And my purpose of this episode is to make you really think do I want a hobby or do I want a business ?

And realize that business ownership should not be a hobby . It should not be for all the reasons that I listed above . If you need to listen to this episode again , listen again because you will hear that All those reasons why it makes a lousy hobby .

So just decide in your brain today like I love what I'm doing , I actually want to build a business out of it . I want to be purpose driven . I want to build a career that I actually love , even if it's part time . I want to make money doing it . I want to be purpose-driven . I want to build a career that I actually love , even if it's part-time .

I want to make money doing it . I want to grow as a person . I want to build something that lasts . I want to create opportunities and I want to find deeper joy and purpose . If that's you today , make a decision . Don't keep putting this off .

Just make a decision and say , yes , I am treating my business like a business and I'm not going to allow it to go down the road of a hobby . Now let me say this too you may be thinking , well , does the revenue that I'm making determine whether it's a hobby or a business ? Here's the deal . You have your own goals .

You have your own definition of success . When I started my first business , when I was starting online in 2003 , I just said if I could make $500 a month , I would be

overjoyed . Right , and it went way , way beyond that . But I'm just saying that was good enough for me and it was the definition of a business for me . So you have to decide when you're starting what money do you need to make so that it is a business ? Right , and it may not be very much money For others of you .

It needs to replace an income , and so that's what it's got to be . Okay , maybe you need to make 50K a year , 70k a year , 100 , whatever it is . Only you know that and I'm not going to put that on you . But what I want you to do before anything is just commit to . This is a business .

I'm not making my business a hobby , okay , because that's the trap . That's the hobby trap that many of you get sucked into and it's a vortex . Don't do that . You're going to have to do things that are out of your comfort zone , that stretch you .

But I'm telling you , the far-reaching effects of your business are like nothing I can describe and will truly give you more purpose in your life . Nothing I can describe and will truly give you more purpose in your life .

If you're here today and you're trying to get your business started or growing but find yourself struggling , you don't know next steps , you're kind of overwhelmed with things . You feel like you're in analysis , paralysis and you want to move fast .

Know that I'm available for one-on-one coaching and I have workshops for you that you can take right now that you can do on your time . Make sure you check out everything down below , because I would love to work with you and help you . I want you to have as much joy in your life as I've had in mine with my businesses . So that's it Until next time .

Bye now .