5 Steps to Make Money Out of Your Passion

Written by Geraldine Grace Hoggang (@geraldinegrace.hoggang)

You read it right! You can earn money by doing something you really love. These students from the University of the Philippines Diliman–Yuri Tsumura and Ida Siasoco–share how they used their passions to start up their own businesses!

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5. First, ask yourself, “am I really passionate about this?”

It takes more than just passion to succeed. There are many struggles that come along the way which can make you give up easily if you don’t have your passion to push you. Take Yuri, as an example, who started with what she said was a “burning passion for photography.”

Yuri shares, “Art is my high. Photography in particular allows me to express my obsession with colors and lighting without the need to manually draw or paint.”

If you see yourself talking about your passion the way Yuri does, you can move on to the next step. 

Yuri at work.

4. Passion is not enough. Develop the skill.

Being passionate can motivate you, but you need to hone this skill to take you further.

For some people, like Ida, the honing and developing came first before the passion: “In grade school, we were required to submit crochet projects, but I really didn’t enjoy it. It came back to me in 2011 and became my pastime. From just a hobby, it became one of my passions and most likely an addiction.”

No matter which came first, as long as there is love for your work and determination to improve, you are a step closer to starting a business based on something you love!

Ida Siasoco’s crocheted top.

3. Find a way to make your products/services unique

Whatever it is you are passionate about, it is quite likely there is someone out there who started his/her business about it already. Thus, it is important to add a refreshing twist to your products or services.

Photography is very common, but Yuri tries to make her business different from the hundreds out there who are also passionate about photography. Aside from taking pride in her expertise in her use of light and color, she adds that she uses ordinary people as models.

“I love the transformation that happens before and during the shoot and I always feel so honored to witness, bring out, and capture this side of the client that people don’t usually see. I want to make them feel that everyone has the capability to model and that this isn’t a trait exclusive to tall, skinny models,” Yuri said.

For Ida, she satisfies her customers by making sure that, aside from having quality local and import materials, each crochet she sells is handmade: “I think one of the best things, since they’re all handmade, is that no two products are exactly the same and each one is made with love… I also make sure that all ordered items are to fit perfectly on the consumer’s wants.”

Plus, Ida offers Basic Crochet Workshops!

 2. Ask for help. You need all the help you can get.

A great business should start with a strong foundation. Ask help from people you know you can trust! Yuri herself had help from her parents who funded her equipment, and her friends who provided her possible locations and help her recruit models. 

For Ida, her family and friends were also as supportive. Her friends were actually the first ones to encourage her to start selling her works. They were also her first customers. And her family, in addition to her friends, was her huge marketing team.

1. Start your business today!

Yes, today! As in right now!

I’m sure you can always begin tomorrow, but the thing is tomorrow never actually comes. All you have is today. You don’t have to launch your page, post your products and services, or send flyers to everyone. Just follow these simple yet effective steps of UP Diliman students to make profit from your passions!

 

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Special thanks to:

Yuri Tsumura: Yuri Tsumura Photography (@yuritsumuraphotography)

Ida Siasoco: The Green Tea Enthusiast Shop (@theGTEshop)