Earn A Living With Your Lifestyle

Have you heard of a “lifestyle business?” Existing somewhere between hobby and start-up, these businesses are typically passion projects run by people that make enough of a profit for them to continue living the lifestyle they’re accustomed to–often using that lifestyle as part of the business.

Lifestyle businesses often act as supplemental income for people, and they can be as passive or active as their owners want them to be. Whether you’re using existing skills–such as hosting classes or paid pre-recorded lessons on an area you excel in–or delving into a new industry like property management, a lifestyle business can ensure you live the life you want–while making money!

In this blog, we’ll go over a few different potential areas you can go to start your own lifestyle business, as well as resources on how to keep it running smoothly. Once you know where to go, the world is your oyster, and you can start seeing your lifestyle as a way to make a living!

Use What You’ve Got

Do you have a vacation home you only use a few times out of the year? Or maybe you’re a little bit of a shopaholic (we won’t tell anyone) and have heaps of clothes, dishware, and other purchases that you’re realizing you won’t ever use. If so, great! They’re your ticket for getting started with your very own lifestyle business.

Renting a vacation home is easier than ever with a range of short-term rental sites like Airbnb and VRBO, which means you could earn a good amount of income just by signing up on a site. There are even agencies that will take care of everything from decor to cleaning up after guests, which means you reap all the reward with little work on your own. Plus, you still get the primary choice on when you can use your vacation home, meaning you don’t lose anything–only gain! 

Plus, reselling is having a moment. That top you bought and wore once or that out-dated phone that still works perfectly well can be put up on sites like Poshmark or even Facebook Marketplace. And just like that, you’ve created a consignment shop of your own without any of the overhead.

Tap Into Your Skills

Are you a top-level photographer? Or a successful entrepreneur who really knows their stuff? Whatever your skills are, you can use them for more than just your day-to-day work. Share what you know through creating a course or writing up an ebook that you can promote and sell.

 If you have the success to back you up, people are going to want to know your secret–and you can make a tidy sum by teaching them, along with fueling future professionals with the skills that made you so successful in the first place.

Get Influencing

While there are plenty of jokes about influencers floating around the internet, it’s still an area worth looking into if you have a lifestyle that you love. Not every influencer needs to be a buzzword-touting, monochrome-home-having TikTok dancer, after all. While it’s important to look into SEO, algorithms, and other ways to make sure your content gets in front of the eyes of potential viewers, the real thing you need to have is authenticity and a genuine love for the niche you’re diving into.

Travel vlogs are a great way to marry your love of travel with making a profit. By sharing unusual and interesting things you find on your travels, you’re able to take other people on the journey with you as you experience the world. Plus, you have the added bonus of having a record for yourself of the incredible journeys you’ve been on.

On a smaller scale, if there’s a hobby you love doing–whether that’s sewing your own clothes, cooking tasty treats, or even more niche areas like re-enactments, pottery, or playing an unusual musical instrument–you can find success as an influencer in these spaces, too, by sharing what you create and giving “backstage” looks at how you create. In some cases, you can even turn part of your day job into an influencer platform with things like packing videos, ASMR experiences, and more fun behind-the-scenes content that people love watching.

Use Your Resources Wisely

Part of the difficulty of a lifestyle business lies in the actual business part of it. While you may love the work you do, managing money, advertising, and other essential parts of business can be majorly draining and lead to burnout–which not only makes your business unsuccessful, but it ruins a part of your life that you previously loved. 

Once you start seeing some success, you’ll want to consider outsourcing some of the less-fun aspects of your business to people who know what they’re doing. Finding a good accounting service can be invaluable for a lifestyle business, as well as a good social media team.

Also, take advantage of free resources when you’re starting out. In addition to the usual social media sites, there are plenty of sites like Wix, Carrd, and WordPress that will allow you to create a website for your business quickly and easily, and sites like Linktree to get all your socials and sites in one easy place so your audience can easily find you. That can save you loads of money that you can use on marketing, managing, or even just re-investing into your business.

Get Started Today!

The great thing about a lifestyle business is that you can essentially get started right now! Don’t let your skills, assets, and passions go to waste. Instead, use them to start funding your lifestyle, and create a great cycle of profitability that you’ll actually enjoy doing.

ILR Author Bio
About the author

Jay Patton is a serial traveler and adventure seeker, based in Portland, Oregon. He enjoys hiking, running, and traveling the world, and is always on the lookout for the next big adventure.