“My husband calls what I do the most expensive hobby.”
That comment came through during one of our recent live sessions, and the chat erupted with people saying “same” and “I feel this so deeply.”
The Comment That Started Everything
Someone said it so matter-of-factly in the chat: “My husband has called what I do the most expensive hobby.” Then finished with “LOL.”
That “lol” broke my heart a little bit. Because behind that casual laugh is something so many creative business owners are sitting with… this uncomfortable question of whether what they’re building is actually viable.
A fertility and women’s health acupuncturist wrote: “I definitely resonate with the imposter syndrome of charging, I so want to help, I feel bad charging!”
Multiple people talked about finding it “almost impossible to work out what to charge.”
I’ve put off recording this episode because it involves some hard truths. But after seeing those comments, I knew it was too important not to address.
Because there’s no point having hobby businesses. We haven’t got time for hobby businesses.
If you’re putting in the time, the energy, the heart, the expertise—if you’re serving people and creating impact—then it needs to be sustainable. Not just financially, but energetically and emotionally.
What An Expensive Hobby Actually Looks Like
It’s when you’re brilliant at what you do, your clients love you, but at the end of the year you’ve barely broken even.
It’s when you spend hours creating something beautiful and then feel guilty asking what it’s genuinely worth.
It’s when someone asks “what do you do?” and you downplay it or say “I’m just…” before describing your work.
The comment about an expensive hobby isn’t necessarily cruel. Often it’s naming something you already know but don’t quite want to face.
You’re not in this position because you’re not talented. It’s because somewhere along the way, you started operating like someone with a hobby rather than someone with a business.
The Difference
A hobby is something you do because you love it, regardless of whether it generates income. You fund it from other sources.
A business is something you’ve structured to be sustainable. You’ve thought about pricing, considered your ideal client, built systems that work.
The difference is simply about intention and structure.
Three Steps To Move From Hobby To Business
First Step
Get crystal clear on three things:
What you’re actually brilliant at. Not what you think you should offer. What comes naturally to you that clients consistently value and praise you for.
Often it’s something that feels so easy to you that you assume it’s not valuable. But that ease is almost always your unique expertise.
Who you’re creating this work for and what they genuinely need. Not elaborate client avatars. Simply understanding the real problem you solve and who needs that solution.
The acupuncturist I mentioned? She’s solving a real problem. The question isn’t whether it’s worth charging for—it absolutely is. The question is whether she’s clear enough about the transformation she creates to charge appropriately.
What a sustainable version looks like for you. Not in some generic business sense, but sustainable for your actual life. Because if you build something that exhausts you, it won’t last.
Second Step
Build on what’s already working rather than constantly trying new things.
Identify which parts of your business are genuinely profitable and sustainable, and do more of those things.
Price in a way that reflects your expertise and allows the business to be genuinely viable. Not what feels comfortable, but what’s actually needed for sustainability.
Be intentional about which clients you’re serving. The people who genuinely value and need what you do.
Third Step
This is where it all comes together.
Systems that don’t require you to be “on” 24/7. Boundaries that protect your energy. Work that energises rather than exhausts you.
Building something that could genuinely run for years, not just until you burn out.
How To Know Where You Actually Are
Ask yourself these questions:
Does the business generate enough income to cover its costs and pay you fairly for your time?
Could you clearly explain to someone what you charge and why?
Do you have a sense of whether this is financially viable long-term, or are you just hoping it will work out?
When people ask what you do, do you feel confident describing it?
Are you building this in a way that’s sustainable for your life?
If you’re sitting with uncomfortable answers, that doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re ready to make the shift.
Awareness is the first step. The second step is doing the proper foundation work to move from hobby to business.
There are so many incredible examples of jewellers, ceramicists, interior designers, florists, brand consultants, garden designers building thriving companies.
It is very possible and you can do exactly the same.
What Changes When You Make This Shift
The guilt around charging disappears. Not because you’ve become someone completely different, but because you understand that sustainability serves everyone.
The conversations at home change. Your partner and family stop questioning whether this is viable.
Your confidence shifts. You stop minimising what you do.
Your work gets better. Because when you’re not constantly worried about sustainability, you have more energy to focus on the creative work itself.
And perhaps most importantly, you can keep doing this for years. You’re building something that genuinely works for you and your life.
If This Is You Right Now
You’re not failing. You’re simply in transition.
Moving from hobby to business is entirely possible. But it requires doing the foundation work properly.
Not just hoping things will work out. Not just working harder. But actually getting really clear on what you’re brilliant at, who needs it, what it’s worth, and how to structure it sustainably.
Whether you currently have a successful business that’s not working for you as it is, or you’re ready to move from an expensive hobby to a viable business, everything I’m sharing is designed to help and support you.
If you’re already doing the work, if you’re already providing products and services to people, if you’re already creating impact, then it deserves to be structured in a way that truly sustains you.
Your work is so valuable. You just need to treat it that way.
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