Don’t Immediately Monetize Your Hobbies

Do this instead

I’m really enjoying the writing process, and right now that’s all that matters.

This was a quote from one of the first articles I published on Medium. But within weeks of writing that article, I lost the enjoyment and it stopped being fun.

Instead of writing for pleasure, I switched to writing for the sole purpose of creating a backend business.

For me, this was a mistake.

The short backstory.

I have been a solopreneur for about 11 years. I have a few different streams of income, my largest ones being through Amazon.

Now Amazon is an incredible opportunity and you can make a lot of money through their website.

But I don’t own the platform, and Amazon can make changes whenever they want to make their customers happy.

I wanted to create my own thing, relying as little as possible on platform rules and algorithm changes. I wanted to create a safety net, just in case something were to happen. I planned to write on Medium while creating a backend business.

Now I know Medium is a platform, but at least I would be diversifying my efforts.

However, when I got down to it, I did not enjoy the process of creating an email list. The thought of it was cool. But doing it wasn’t fun at all.

I know, welcome to adulting.

But if I do not enjoy something, I just shut down. It’s always been hard for me to do things I don’t enjoy.

Still, I know, welcome to adulting.

So I stopped and went back to Merch by Amazon, something I started doing in 2016. I instantly felt a sense of relief.

At that point, the algorithms didn’t matter. I just wanted to enjoy my work again.

I’ve always said that if I found myself hating my work, I’d rather get a job. At least then I’d have a steady income and better health insurance.

Writing used to be fun.

Many years ago, I had a blog hosted on Blogger. It was something fun that I did after work and on the weekends. I didn’t worry about starting an email list and the thought of monetizing never crossed my mind.

Years before that, I wrote all of the time and loved creating stories. This was well before I knew anything about the Internet.

I want to get back to that. I want to create. And if the money comes, that’s a bonus.

But I don’t want to write for the sole purpose of creating a business.

I don’t want to write to please an algorithm.

And if I have to deal with Amazon platform or algorithm changes, so be it.

My strategy going forward.

For now, having different income streams and not spending everything I make is a good safety net.

Until then, if one income stream falls through, it would suck. But I would still be okay.

As I write this, I feel lucky that I have enough income streams to focus on the fun of writing.

If you are not in that situation, I challenge you to still focus on the fun. If money is an issue, find other ways to make money and continue to write on the side.

I must say that if you can write, create a business, and still not enjoy it, I applaud you. That’s something I have challenges with.

I know that email lists and creating the backend of businesses are important. But it’s not a requirement to have a business.

I’m going to be working on adding more streams of income, and I’m super excited. For me, enjoying work and income stream diversification are going to be the keys.