A Bunch Of Legends Who Turned Lil’ Hobbies Into Full-Blown Businesses

hobby to business

Oh, haven’t you heard? Side hustles are the new black. Seriously though, it seems like everyone has a little something (and sometimes someone) on the side.

It’s only the peeps with enough drive, passion, patience (and yes, sometimes luck) that can turn that into a full-blown biz though, and that’s an impressive feat in and of itself.

To get y’all inspired for 2019 and how you can indeed make it your bitch, please sit back and appreciate the below go-getters.

SCOTT KEYES – SCOTT’S CHEAP FLIGHTS


Photo: Instagram / @scottmkeyes.

You know the mental boner you get when you find something a lot cheaper than it’s typical price tag? Scott Keyes, 29, really liked that feeling, particularly when it came to cheap airfares.

In fact, in 2013 he found a non-stop, round-trip from New York to Milan for just $130, something that made his mates ask if he could pretty please tell them next time he came across such a big score.

Now three years later, the guy legit has a business worth almost seven figures – aptly dubbed Scott’s Cheap Flights – where he sends sweet deals to a database of over 25K subscribers. Next time you think you have a borderline unhealthy obsession with something, think about Scotty who does know, despite what Matt Damon might tell ya.

JOHN DOLAN – STREET ARTIST / AUTHOR


Photo: Facebook / John Dolan and George The Dog.

Now, this one will just bloody melt your heart. John Dolan was homeless and living on the street in London‘s Shoreditch with his dog, George, when he started drawing to keep himself entertained and out of eye contact with people who he felt pitied him. Now he sells those pieces from onwards of $5K a pop and has his own flat.

The best part? He still takes to the streets to continue his drawings, even though he is now a famous artist and author of his own best-selling book, John and George, which details his amazing story.

NICOLE WARNE – GARY PEPPER GIRL


Photo: Instagram / @garypeppergirl.

Some people love thrift shopping. Some people know how to turn that habit into a full-blown business. Enter Nicole Warne, an avid vintage hunter who set up e-commerce store ‘Gary Pepper Girl‘ as a side gig to sell her finds, all while balancing a full-time job, studies and internships at Australia’s leading fashion magazines like Grazia and Harper’s Bazaar.

While the store may no longer operate, the success of the shop and the blog that accompanied it means that now Gary Pepper Girl is very much a business and a full-blown brand. Nicole has over 1.7 million Instagram followers, has nabbed 3 x magazine covers across the globe and works with big-time brands like Lancôme, Net-A-Porter, Chanel, Dior, Valentino and more – whether that’s as a model, style ambassador, digital strategist or otherwise.

Before you turn your nose up at a blogging success story, let’s remember that she was at the forefront of it all. She was there before it was a thing.

MITCH TOMLINSON & MITCH ROSS – LIFE WITHOUT ANDY


Photo: Life Without Andy.

Just a duo of Mitchy photographers that went from snapping at da clubs to operating a legit business / brand / website, Life Without Andy. From high-end fashion shoots to campaigns, editorials and primo event coverage, the website now helms a team spanning far beyond the original pair. Heck, it even has an online shop. NOT. TOO. SHABBY.

Pretty good stuff, right?

Photo: The Social Network.

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