The material in this blog comes from an old article which had appeared on a business website and has an good examples of our blog discussion of transition of hobbies into successful businesses ..

If you have skills / talent, it is not an  insurance to success but if the skills are transferred into a business idea, they sure will have a great potential and allow you to claim your rewards. 

When MaryBeth Reeves launched Atlanta-based Scrapbookmamma, ranked 23rd in the 2009 Leading Mom's in Business competition, she wasn’t looking for a new job. She actually had a full-time job with Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and had been working in the industry for the past 20 years. “I loved my job and the lifestyle that it provided me,” says Reeves, 40. “I traveled all the time, met a ton of people and was always doing something exciting.”

In 2003, she married her “soul mate” and created a photo book out of the professional pictures from the wedding. It was at that point that she casually picked up scrapbooking, setting into motion a part-time hobby that would ultimately become a career as a business owner.

Scrapbooking didn’t enter the realm of “full-time career” until she was laid off from Starwood job. Recalls Reeves, “It was sooner than I had planned, but I jumped in with both feet working for myself and decided to make a go of it.”As mentioned in Thomas Friedman’s best-seller, The World is Flat, “change” is only a bad thing if you’re unprepared for it. How smart of Reeves to have a side project ready to ramp up in the event of being pink slipped.

For Wendy de Pénasse, founder of jewelry line Nature’s Gems (ranked No. 64) in Nashua, New Hampshire, it happened a little differently. Despite a creative gene and interest in design, she wasn’t always into gems and jewelry making. It took a trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she was jaw-dropped by the beautiful gems and jewelry. Her purchases were a hit back in the States, too. “I received so many compliments from family, friends and complete strangers, I felt like there might be an opportunity for a business,” says de Pénasse, 40. She pondered the idea of importing the jewelry to sell, but ended up dismissing it. It wasn’t practical given the limitations on the variety of designs she’d have to ship and inventory.

“A friend suggested importing the stones and creating my own designs,” says de Pénasse. “Designing and creating the jewelry interested me, so I took a jewelry making class at a local bead shop.” She was a stay-at-home mom at the time, so she was able to make all the jewelry and run the business out of her home. Even today (two years after launching), she still makes all of the jewelry in the Nature’s Gems line. And her heart is in it, completely.

“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” Part of the appeal of a hobby business for moms—and all entrepreneurs, really—is that they’re getting to do something they love and would be doing in their spare time anyway. Most don’t ever consider the idea that it could become more than a pastime and could potentially be a profitable business.

Though it’s reasonable to assume many of the scrapbooking businesses out there started as hobbies, Reeves believes having a passion for the hobby gives her an advantage over other entrepreneurs. “Starting a Business that involves something you love to do has an advantage,” she says. “Looking back, I did enjoy my former career, but now I realize what loving your work really means. I get to be part of the celebrations in people’s lives, which is an honor.”De Pénasse agrees: “A hobby can flow into a business opportunity. When you start with something you are familiar with and enjoy, this can lead to a moneymaking opportunity. It’s really about taking advantage of your talents and skills to turn it into something profitable and enjoyable.”

We would love hosting your successes and stories. Please share your tale of success for all of us to learn and grow togather.