How to Make Your Hobby A Paying Homebased Business

It's great to have a challenging and interesting hobbyhobby shop in Vietnam.
such as origami, papier-mâché sculpting,When Loring returned to the US he became an
fine art - painting and/or sketching, rockhounding,electronics instructor at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey,
photography, or jewelry making. It's even moreand he quickly made contact with the Post Photo
exciting to have a specialty in one of these fieldsHobby Shop and got a part time job, thus learning
that no one else has, and then to turn your specialmore about photography for himself but also helping
talents into a successful home-based business. It'sto teach others the fine art of photography.
gratifying indeed to be able to take two or more ofLoring's next posting was to Panama where he
these and combine them into a paying proposition.continued with the local Post Photo Hobby Shop as a
That's exactly what Loring Windblad of Sierra Vista,Photo and Color Printing Instructor for 2 ½
AZ, did.years, and also picking up work as a free-lance
But these aren't isolated stories. Men and womenphotographer. Loring soon began photographing such
across the country are joining the ranks ofthings as kids visiting with Santa, then developing and
entrepreneurs converting hobbies into moneymakingprinting and delivering the photos, Then action work
propositions. It's important to note that none ofsuch as youth Karate matches, Pop Warner football
these women originally planned to start a business.games, Little League baseball games, and both team
On the contrary, interest by others in their hobbiesand individual photos. And, of course, weddings. All
convinced them to sell their work.these photo endeavors paid surprisingly well, and
LORING WINDBLAD'S CUSTOM-BUILT COMPUTERLoring was soon not only very busy but making
BUSINESSenough money to more than support his
Loring Windblad spent 20 years in the US Army inphotography needs. And teaching helped keep Loring
Electronics, and retired from that position on Januaryup with everything in the photography field so soon
1st, 1976. But in the course of those 20 yearseveryone with a question about cameras and
additional skills were picked up including teachingphotography was coming to him.
(electronics), typing (over 100 wpm), general writingBeing around military bases there was always
and technical writing (electronics and communications,opportunity for youth sporting event photography.
lesson plans, etc), photography and even SCUBAAnd wedding photography. From 1970 thru about
diving.1977 Loring did a pretty brisk business in
Years and miles later (read on below, also) foundphotography, made a lot of friends and took a lot of
Loring in Canada playing in a major bridge tournamentpictures. And made a pretty good "extra income"
but also renewing acquaintance with his first love,that not only paid for all his cameras and supplies but
whom he met in 1952. Strange things happened andprovided a lot of extra money supplementing his
they got married in June of 1990 and began theirincome.
own business in July of 1990. The business took on aBut it was hard work and long hours and Loring's son,
form of its own, evolving from humble beginningssilver smithing and rockhounding were getting in the
into a Desktop Publishing and Graphic Designway. The transition was made leaving photography
endeavor by September, when they purchased theirbehind and embracing a new business - jewelry
own computer - and landed their first big job startingmaking and silver smithing.
October 1st.LORING WINDBLAD'S SILVER-SMITHING BONANZA
That same Friday night, September 30th, wasLoring was always a rock collector. This gave him an
portentous in several ways. Loring played his baseballeye for rocks that were different everywhere he
games for his computer baseball league and thenwent. As a soldier in the US Army he managed to
shut the computer down at midnight and went tolive in France for four years, Panama for five years,
bed. When the computer was turned on at 8 am toand Southeast Asia (Vietnam) for 2 years, as well as
start the new job, nothing happened. Dead. Noextensive periods from coast to coast across the
computer working. Obviously a dead power supply?United States including California, Georgia, New
No? Actually yes. The computer was two weeks old,Jersey, Kansas and Arizona.
under total warranty, but nothing could be doneLoring was divorced while he was in Vietnam when
warranty wise over the weekend. So Loring calledhis son was three. Eight years later, in August of
around to every computer business in the area and1975, his ex- called and said, "I can't handle your son
found one open on a Saturday morning, drove there,any more. You've got to take him!" Without getting
found a power supply that looked exactly like theinto gory details...."Well, ok", and his son came to
one in the computer at home, made a deal to "rentArizona to live with him.
it" for a week until a replacement could be gotten onLoring, Jr., was an excellent artist and got straight A's
warranty, took it home and put it in the computer.in art in school. He was now in a new environment
It worked! The job began, a few hours late but onand Windy, as a way of keeping his son's interest up
the day it was supposed to begin. And a new careerin the arts and new things, began taking Jr. and his
was launched, even though we didn't know it at thefriends out on camping and sightseeing trips in the
time.Arizona desert. Loring also was taking Geology
Calling upon his 20 years of experience plus lots ofcourses with the local Junior College, and began
long talks with the Custom Computer Builder whoimparting that knowledge to his son and his son's
had sold them their first computer, Loring slowlyfriends while on their outings in the desert and
learned about computers and how to build them.mountain country of SE Arizona, the Basin and Range
Then, in 1992, a friend of a friend wanted a newcountry.
computer. Loring "custom built" a computer for him, aRockhounding gave the desert jaunts with his son
brand new 486 CPU "screamer" type. The client wasextra meaning. Identification of various kinds of rocks
well satisfied. Time passed. Friends later in the yearand geological formations soon were followed with
wanted computers, so Loring built them newexplorations of the old turquoise mines and an
computers. By 1994 Loring was building 5-6 customeducation in the copper-related gemstones of
computers a month, most months, in the "high profit"turquoise, malachite, azurite and chrisocolla. Use of
days of computers when they paid $400 or morethe Army's lapidary hobby shop led to cutting slabs
profit per computer.of the stones, revealing hidden patterns, then cutting
One of the biggest things was finding wholesalethe stone slabs into cabochons enhancing the pattern
suppliers for a new computer builder to purchaseintricacies.
quality components from. With a little help from theirWhat are cabochons without jewelry? Silver smithing
original computer salesman, i.e., making careful notesclasses followed and then Junior turned his cabochons
on everything he told them, June and Loringinto some jewelry pieces for his mother and sister.
developed a list of possible suppliers, then applied forThen came wax carving and lost wax casting, running
re-seller status. And sure, there were periods whenthe full gamut of classes and skills available. In order
no computers were sold as well as months when 6-8to keep expenses down Windy located wholesale
were sold. It was obviously a struggle, but a goodoutlets which supplied him with components to
one.assemble jewelry such as chains, pendants, findings,
Networking became a way of life. June joined all theetc.
women's networking groups and Loring joined all theAfter two years, Junior decided it was time to move
missed networking groups. Both made presentationsback with his mother and Windy was left with all
and work came in, both desktop publishing and newsorts time, of jewelry skills and pieces of original
computers. From 1995 to 1998 Loring sold anjewelry building up, some pieces rather unique. He
average of 25-30 computers a year. However, byturned to the local flea market and soon established
1998 the profit margin was falling out of computers,himself as a regular jewelry maker, attending almost
the days of $400 were gone. By 1999 the marginevery weekend. Sales increased, and soon Windy
was down to $100 a computer and when you arebegan his jewelry business, The Stonewerkes,
servicing a computer for 3 years warranty service onSouthwest Originals in Wood and Stone. He was
a total of $100 it starts getting pretty old prettyattending weekend flea markets and Art in the Park
quick.and Craft shows all over Arizona to sell his products.
The sales kept up for a while, but by 2001 newAnd he built up a chain of 8 businesses in two states
technology, low profits and pending retirement forwhich also handled his jewelry on consignment.
June and Loring caused a re-think of priorities. By theLoring actually took his "rockhounding" hobby turned
end of 2002 building custom computers was a thingjewelry business a large step further. He subscribed
of the past and a new era of life - retirement - wasto all the commercial and trade magazines as well,
upon us. But the trip to and through buildingand then combined his talents as a photographer and
computers has been a fascinating one.as a writer, photographed his silver smithing and
LORING WINDBLAD'S PHOTOGRAPHY VENTURElapidary work, wrote photo-journalism articles on
Way back when Loring first met June he learned that"how to" silver smithing projects and then sold them
June knew how to not only take pictures but toto the magazines.
develop and print those pictures in her basementLoring says "You never know when what you do as
darkroom. Never one to take a back seat when hea hobby can end up being a very profitable business.
could be learning something new, when Loring a fewOver the past 40 years I have had the rare pleasure
years later went to Vietnam in the Army he took upof turning three hobbies into professions:
photography, including learning how to develop andphotography, electronics and now rockhounding. And
print his photographs. This was 1965 to 1967. And inusing other skills such as technical writing and typing
1966 Loring helped to establish and run the unit photoin those endeavors. From humble beginnings....