People are making dramatic career changes by turning their
hobbies into online businesses.
According to an online poll of 2,234 people, commissioned by
business insurer Direct Line for Business, 33% of people spend
their spare time on internet and computer activities such as
selling on Ebay. In the Direct Line poll, 41% said turning
their hobby into a business would be a dream come true.
Richard Lerman, a former insurance salesman,
turned his hobby of
selling film memorabilia on eBay into a business with a
turnover of about £170,000 a year.
He decided to sell full-time when balancing his hobby with the
rest of his life became impossible. "I did a full-time job and a
hobby that takes over your life. With a family on top you only have
so many hours in a day."
From his home PC he uses eBay to buy and sell film collectables.
He has been collecting for 30 years and selling on eBay for six
years.
His business has grown and he hires web designers and software
developers when required. "eBay set me up and then I set up an
e-commerce website on the side."
He said working from his home PC means overheads are not big but
he does pay on average 15% commission to eBay.
The
Direct Line for Business survey revealed 53% of workers in
full-time employment feel it would be a dream come true to escape
the rat race and go it alone.
It also found that 44% of people that quit their day job to run
their own business wish they had done it sooner.