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It's easy to hand out wisdom but difficult to materialize it. Moreover when it comes to taking a hobby to a serious professional level, people have it much tougher. Not only are finances and logistics a crunch issue, the overall sentiment surrounding a hobby is not very encouraging. It's fine when your kid earns medals and recognition; but going pro is an option that not many champion.
If the case with children sounds so bleak, that of adults, talented adults with a knack for business too, is not too different. It sounds quite pointless; why pursue a hobby in the first place at all if you cannot put to use its skills in a better way ever? It's a grim reality!
However, everyone does not fall victim to this abysmal fate. There are some persevering souls in the business niche who have scaled the inbound difficulties to convert their hobbies into fruitful business empires. Let's get infused with some real time inspiration today.
1. Kim Lavine, Bestselling Author & Business Advisor
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Her success story spans from starting out as pillow seller to home decor business to penning her journey in her popular book titled Mommy Millionaire: How I Turned My Kitchen Table Idea Into A Million Dollars And How You Can Too!
Well the book's epic title says it all. Kim's tale defines the transformation of a homemaker mom who started out making microwaveable pillows for her kids' school teachers. She developed this gifting business in her kitchen table at Michigan as a part time job to support her family as her husband was laid off.
Today she enjoys the reputation as a trusted business advisor through various online portal - BUY MOM. By 2010, Kim's focus has been to intertwine her personal success and experiences to provide a connecting platform to budding women entrepreneurs. Her Private Equity Summit was launched with a aim to connect such women with the capital market, that immediately garnered a $100 million commitment from investors of Fortune 100 companies.
2. Terry Finley, CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds
Well the book's epic title says it all. Kim's tale defines the transformation of a homemaker mom who started out making microwaveable pillows for her kids' school teachers. She developed this gifting business in her kitchen table at Michigan as a part time job to support her family as her husband was laid off.
Today she enjoys the reputation as a trusted business advisor through various online portal - BUY MOM. By 2010, Kim's focus has been to intertwine her personal success and experiences to provide a connecting platform to budding women entrepreneurs. Her Private Equity Summit was launched with a aim to connect such women with the capital market, that immediately garnered a $100 million commitment from investors of Fortune 100 companies.
2. Terry Finley, CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds
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Racing is a volatile business he says. A former US Army veteran, Terry's passion was always horses. Coming from a middle class family, with a father who was a high school teacher, Terry was no blue blood rancher. Completing his tenure with the Army, Terry and his wife Debbie, went into the horse racing business in 1991. They manage Equine portfolios, racing partnerships, offer training programs, race horses on America's premier racetracks and breed and sell horses for clients. Starting at a small scale they currently have over 400 partners, 80 stable horses and offices in New Jersey, Kentucky and California.
They are a success story today because they had a two sided strategy beyond the racing tracks. They were looking to become a brand with a reputation. Finley's success lies a lot on a client's referrals and understanding the importance of keeping track of metrics.
3. Craig Jenkins-Sutton , Founder of Topiarius
They are a success story today because they had a two sided strategy beyond the racing tracks. They were looking to become a brand with a reputation. Finley's success lies a lot on a client's referrals and understanding the importance of keeping track of metrics.
3. Craig Jenkins-Sutton , Founder of Topiarius
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Craig and his wife Sara were a team on mission to modify Chicago's landscape with their garden designing passion. Craig was a farm boy who grew up in Minnesota and cultivating a love for gardening all along. In 2003, he decided to launch his own business firm and placed his gardening service ad. Working their way through word of mouth marketing and personal networking that earned him customers. By 2010, the team decide to move out from a small city office to off Sacramento between Chicago and Lake Street. Topiarius is a multi-million dollar enterprise.
4. Megan Duckett , Owner of Sew What? Rent What?
4. Megan Duckett , Owner of Sew What? Rent What?
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Megan came to America to make it big in the entertainment industry from Australia at the age of 19. She took up sewing, making drapes, bedding sand tapestry as a way to help out friends. With an offer to do a Halloween consignment for her employer at an event management firm, she got her first real break in this business. Soon she moved to designing props and setups in addition to her sewing skills to earn more than her job as an event manager. That's when she decide to quit her regular job to pursue her hobby by renting a warehouse to start her company. By 2011, her LA-based company was generating a sales worth $6 million from her businesses What Sew? What Brand? and Rent What?
Hobbyists are special people with an innate talent for self improvement. Their skills, when given a organized channel can produce million; literally like some of these inspiring role models. These listed people today might be big names in their industries but remember all of them started out small. And that is the power of small business, it takes time to breed but the returns of the labor are quite fruitful.Tell us your level of inspiration on a scale of 1 to 10. Do share with us your small business success story by leaving a comment in the section below.
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