Do you have a collection of picture post cards that you'd like to trade and sell? How about needlework designs and supplies that you can offer to people? Do you make craft goods that you sell on the side? Are you an expert at ice fishing? You can turn all of these pursuits into online businesses that not only pay for your hobby's expenses, but also can actually replace a full time income from a regular job. There's no guarantee you can do so, but if you never try, there's a 100% guarantee you'll never know!

One of the fastest growing home business opportunities on the Internet is taking a hobby and turning it into a business. With the low cost of making and hosting a Web site, just about any hobbyist, craftsperson or collector can enter a marketplace that reaches around the world! Best of all, if you target the right niche, you'll attract buyers ready to spend money on your goods without a great deal of "hard selling".

Take the time to search around online and find other people doing what you want to do. Use your common sense and figure out if these folks are just sharing information, or making a profit from their pursuit. You'll want to base your business on those who are selling successfully. Don't try and reinvent the wheel and NEVER try to sell something that isn't already selling. You may have a great product, but if people aren't already buying something like it, you may never make a sale yourself!

Making the switch from hobby to business takes some planning and advice from professionals, but it can be done very inexpensively and quickly. You'll need to check your local regulations regarding home businesses, collecting sales tax, opening a business bank account, etc. Have no fear - these steps are relatively easy and don't require a degree in business administration.

Creating a business plan for your home based enterprise is a very important step to take. Putting down on paper the reason why you want to go into business, and mapping out all the steps you need to take will help you immensely. Again, there are free resources available online for you to see examples of working business plans that will help get you started.

Once you have a plan and the other parts of your business ready to go, it's time to decide how you want to present yourself to the world. A blog may be a very effective way to start, but it requires frequent attention and updates to be really effective. A "static" Web site can be less labor intensive, but harder to get people to return to for repeat sales. Only you can decide how to approach this question.

The important thing to do is get started! Don't fall into the trap of "overthinking" this question. Given the low cost of entry, you can probably afford to make some small mistakes, at first. If they ARE mistakes, you'll know it and can fix them.

Make sure you set and keep a budget for your expenses. Never spend more than you need to on running your business and always make sure you remember the main point of a business: earn a profit. You cannot spend more than it pays to sell something and be in business.

The bottom line means taking in more than goes out. Successful businesses measure and track all their expenses and revenue sources. At the end of the business day, you want your revenue to exceed your expenses. Remember to include your time as an expense. If you're earning less than a job would pay, perhaps you need to get a job related to your hobby or craft, instead of paying to be an online hobbyist!