For creative people unusual ideas and talent, it is extremely easy to create a sustainable business model. Both examples in this post are about just such a case.

Both business models were created by creative and talented people, both business models are similar in target audience, points of contact and recruitment competitive advantages generally. Even the reason for buying products is actually similar. This is basically an unusual expensive gift, in most cases for a corporate client. The only question that always arises with such business models is what will happen to the business when the founding father retires. This is the biggest longevity risk for this type of business model.

The first example is the business of Patrick Richard, who creates unusual three-dimensional paintings - La Ruée vers l'Art. The business started as a continuation of an unusual hobby and has existed for quite a long time - the company was founded in 1988. All paintings are created by hand for a specific order. The author’s favorite topic is cars, professions and everything connected with it. It looks fascinating, and the comparison with the painting is relative.

The second example is the business of Martin Hekeshoven, who creates collectible rusty scale models of cars. The trick of this hobby, which grew into a business, by the way, also in the 80s, is precisely in its unique product. Buying a model of almost any car now is not difficult, but buying a hand-made, fantastically detailed model of a rusty car other than Martin’s is impossible. Looks amazing too and is really worth it too big money. Although such things are valuable not because of the price, but precisely because of their uniqueness.

In Paris you can see
next picture. The guide gathered around him
a decent crowd of gasping tourists,
vaguely points with his hand somewhere in
area of ​​the Champs Elysees: "and here,
The famous Pierre Richard lives nearby."

Every second of the visiting onlookers dreams of meeting an actor on the Champs Elysees, whom it is impossible not to recognize or confuse with someone else. A funny man with disheveled hair (now gray) and a sad, spaniel-like look in his piercing blue eyes. For almost twenty years, tourists have been hoping to meet him, imagining that the famous movie clown, as in the films, will slip on a banana peel, fall funny, enter through the windows of shops and every now and then get hit by passing cars and bicycles. But no miracle happens. And in the fit and energetic gentleman, who daily makes morning and evening jogs along the banks of the Seine and is almost no different from respectable Parisian pensioners, few people recognize the famous comedian.

The sixty-six-year-old actor lives in the very center of Paris... on a barge. Since the mid-eighties, this floating ship has become his main home. The Champs Elysees begins not far from his house, and in the mornings, after jogging, he fishes with his neighbors, whose barges and boats are moored nearby. About five years ago, at the insistence of doctors, he had to give up the tennis court. But doing daily exercise, fishing and swimming in the pool twice a week is sacred. As well as periodically taking a breeze around Paris on a motorcycle.

In fact, Richard is not a surname, Richard is a given name. Full name actor - Pierre Richard Maurice Charles Leopold de Fey. When the young man announced to his aristocratic relatives that he intended to become an actor, they reared up, and family estate de Feev resounded with heart-rending lamentations. Their meaning boiled down to one thing: it was inappropriate to disgrace an eminent family with such tricks. The son listened and listened to his relatives - and went to study in Paris. Moreover, he was fed up with his aristocracy and it did not bring him anything good. In Paris, he completed the famous drama courses of Charles Dullin, interned at the theater of the no less famous Jean Vilar, performing on the same stage with Gerard Philip, played in theaters and even danced in the troupe of Maurice Bejart. Together with his then friend, now the famous film actor Victor Lanou, Richard composed short humorous skits and monologues, performing with them on the stage of music halls, cabarets, and small theaters.

He came to cinema only at the age of thirty-three. The first film with his participation, “Blessed Alexander,” was released in 1968. And the world saw such a funny and sad at the same time awkward and clumsy Richard. The director, who offered the now middle-aged actor a small role, not only made him believe in his future in cinema, but also decided to finally make his own film. This is how “Abstracted” (1970) was released, where Richard acted as both an actor and a director. After that, no one called him anything other than “absent-minded.” The second nickname – “the tall blond” – stuck with the actor after the release of “The Tall Blonde in a Black Shoe” in 1972 and its subsequent sequel, “The Return of the Tall Blonde” (1974). Pierre Richard's favorite character, François Perrin, born from the imagination of his friend, screenwriter and director Francis Weber, retained his name in both "The Toy" (1976) and "The Bait" (in our box office - "The Unlucky Ones" (1980). In "Accomplices (in our box office - "Dads" (1983) and in "The Runaways" (1986) he became Francois Pignon. Perrin-Pignon is all him, Richard. And the little boy in "The Toy" is also him, Richard, only in distant childhood. He never met his Perrin, who would become a teacher, a friend, and a father. But he dreamed about it all his life. Just like about his father.

The father abandoned the family before the boy was born. They met for the first time when Pierre was seven, and since then they have communicated periodically. They communicated in the same way as father and son in “The Toy,” with the only difference being that Pierre’s father was not a serious businessman, but a gambler and reveler, who eventually went completely bankrupt. Pierre spent his entire childhood on the estate of his grandfather, a descendant of a feudal family. For eight years, every Monday he was brought to the boarding school in a luxury limousine and picked up on Friday. Mostly the children of workers studied with him. The boy did not develop friendships with anyone. In order to somehow overcome the wall of alienation, he began to practice antics and clowning...

“If I had not become an actor, I would have become a tramp,” says Pierre Richard, admitting that the notorious aristocratic upbringing stole from him the most best years life - adolescence. “Between fifteen and twenty years old, I was practically under house arrest, while my peers were having parties and going on sprees,” the actor recalls, and this is precisely the reason why he had practically no friends as a child. “What I wanted more than anything was to get out of this gilded cage,” he laments.

A few friends are inclined to think that Richard is still embarrassed by his popularity and does not really like to be the object of close attention. In companies, when he is especially annoyingly asked to make everyone laugh with something, he denies for a long time, and then answers: “Write a check, then I’ll make you laugh.” True, he had not yet been offered checks, but, most likely, such a turn of events would have embarrassed the famous comedian even more.

The actor doesn't like new clothes and he prefers old, worn out to the point of disgrace, to polished dress shoes. He does not collect antiques or other luxury items. “They gave me gold and diamonds, I got myself credit cards and... I lost everything,” he says with a carefree smile, adding: “For some reason, money and jewelry are running away from me.” And to the question: “What about your family estate?” - He replies with a grin that it was sold long ago, and the park was cut down. True, having already become famous, Richard bought himself a new one in the southwest of France. There, with the participation of his friend Gerard Depardieu (who is almost fifteen years younger than him, but despite this, Richard says that Gerard is like an older brother to him), the actor grows grapes and produces his own wine. But this is more of a hobby than a business. Moreover, he almost never lives on the estate. And why, if there is a beautiful floating house?

Many people believe that finest hour Grandfather Richard is long behind him (the actor has two sons from his first wife, a ballerina at the Paris Opera, and four grandchildren). But the point is not whether he is currently filming somewhere or just sitting with a fishing rod on his barge. Richard is already a legend. Although he himself is in no hurry to classify himself as such, arguing that being in your seventh decade is not at all as scary as it seems in his youth.

“In all my roles there is a piece of me - shy, a little afraid of people, absent-minded. At the same time, I am a fighter, because it’s impossible otherwise in the acting profession. But I will never walk over corpses and for some reason I treat losers with more sympathy than to the winners,” says famous actor. And this is his credo.

Every passionate person sooner or later thinks about earning extra money.

The first thing that comes to mind is to make a business out of a hobby. And this is quite real. Firstly, you are good at what you are passionate about and know a lot about your hobby. Secondly, you don’t have to start from scratch, since you already have not only the skills, but also the initial tools to implement your plans. All that remains is to sort out the details, weigh the risks and move from plans and dreams to action.

What hobbies can you build a business on?

You can turn almost any hobby into a business, both well-known and popular ones and the most rare ones. Suitable for earning money:

• All types of handicrafts, even if you live in a small village where there is no one to sell handicrafts.
• Drawing in any technique, including creating digital images.
• Photography and photo processing.
• Everything related to the beauty of women, men and pets.
• Love of gardening, gardening and landscape design.
• The ability to compose elements and beautifully express thoughts in prose.
• An unrealized dream of becoming an artist or singer, TV program host or announcer.
• Cooking.
• Love for children.
• Floriculture and floristry.
• Interest in digital technologies.

List of hobbies that you can actually do profitable business, we can continue endlessly. After all, what you create easily, others cannot do.

Handicraft business - brief plan

Most women dream of making money from their favorite handicraft. And this is more than realistic, because handmade crafts are now very popular and in demand not only in the domestic market, but also abroad.

Have you ever thought that your hobby could become more than just a passion for you? Many people don't realize that the things that give them pleasure can also provide them with a good income.

Take, for example, Anastasia Mironova, a 26-year-old young mother from Kyiv. Anastasia was always interested in photography, but had no idea that one day her hobby would turn out to be her main source of income. According to her, since childhood she wanted to take photographs in order to share her impressions with her family and show them how beautiful it is around. With age, this desire grew into a hobby, and the hobby, in turn, became a profession. Today, Nastya is the proud owner of her own photo agency, where she has the opportunity to constantly develop, solve new complex problems, meet new people and explore new unknown angles.

Wix site of Anastasia Mironova

Anastasia’s inspiring example is not an exception to the rule. The rise of sites like Etsy, Elance, ArtFire and Fiverr is living proof of the fast-growing movement of young entrepreneurs looking to turn their creative passion into a reliable source of income. The current economic environment is conducive to development home business: Even such unusual hobbies as felting wool and creating felt accessories can bring decent profits. Now is the best time for this, because the Internet offers everyone an endless number of opportunities to build a profitable business. You don't need a "big break", an unlimited budget or a PR team. A free website builder and strong social media promotion is all you need to achieve success on your own. In this article we will tell you how to do this.

Wix site for handicrafts Wool Stories

Step one: creating a website

VKontakte, Facebook and Twitter

See how photographer Maria Filatova successfully promotes her website on VKontakte:

Wix site of photographer Maria Filatova

Tells how a hobby can grow into a business and what mistakes you should avoid if this happens to you.

There's more and more around more people they begin to engage in a strange and, as it seems at first glance, frivolous business. Someone is launching the production of almond milk, someone is opening surf schools, others are making designer boxes self made, bake incredibly beautiful cupcakes and open their own pastry shops in the center of Moscow. All these people have one thing in common - love for their work. Because for them it’s not even a “business”, but first and foremost a hobby.

This has really become a trend over the last 5-10 years. No matter who you ask, everyone wants to do “what they love,” “do something for the soul,” and “for fun.”

What is the reason? Perhaps we're just lazy? But is it possible to wish for the best for yourself? harmonious life– is this laziness? No, this is much more work than going to a job you don’t like and whining 24 hours a day about what kind of boss you have... (here you can substitute any negative epithet you wish).

Anna Avdeeva

Causes, effects and consequences

So, where does it come from that more and more people are trying to turn their hobby into a business?

• The most important thing is that the “hungry” ones passed Soviet times, people began to get used to the opportunities and comfort. Now the main desire is not to earn money “quickly, a lot, in any way”, now it is “fashionable” to get to know yourself, develop and think about deeper things than momentary gain. And these are not some “blessed enlightened ones” - this is an ordinary pyramid Maslow's needs. Finally, the time has come for self-realization.
• The new generation of the late 80s and early 90s did not grow up in the USSR or no longer remember the main “rules”: “be like everyone else,” “don’t stand out,” “any businessman is a thief.” They are young, not afraid to try new things, their brains are not clouded various settings. Ideal startupers.

• There is another category - already experienced businessmen. Those who have learned a lot, lost a lot and earned even more, and are now ready to invest their knowledge and experience in “a matter for the soul.” They are more careful, make fewer mistakes, and often such projects become an additional business for them.
• Another reason is that everything has become much simpler now. tries to support small businesses: subsidies, grants, discounts on rent and lending, free courses, finally. Also, business incubators and accelerators (both public and private) are now particularly widespread. It is clear that money will not fall from the sky to everyone who wants it - certain conditions and procedures must be observed. But still these possibilities exist.
• In addition, the availability of information has now increased. The answer to any question can be found on the Internet. Make a website - please. Finding a courier service or printing house is no problem. Clarify the processes for registering individual entrepreneurs - everything will be found right there! Of course, business education never hurts, but you can take the first steps without it. The necessary knowledge is always at hand, the main thing is not to be lazy in acquiring it.
• Successful examples are not the last motivational factor. “If a colleague has former classmate or just “the guy from the article” everything worked out, then why am I worse?” - this is what many think. Of course, not everyone wins. But the game is worth much more than the candles - so why not give it a try?

Lucky people or good businessmen?

There are a lot of inspiring examples - from well-known international companies to small but very successful industries.

Did you know that the concern L'Oreal came from the hobby of its creator? Eugene Schuller Even in his youth he was interested in chemistry, work in the laboratory gave him the opportunity for chemical “creativity”. It was during odd hours, or rather, during non-working hours, that Eugene experimented a lot. One day, Eugene’s wife, in pursuit of beauty, “burned” her hair, then Schuller decided to help his wife and all the women of the world at the same time - this is how the world’s first safe hair dye appeared. The paint was called "Oreal". What happened next - you can guess.

Another story. American Anna Maria Faiola Since childhood I loved making soap. A hobby has grown into a multimillion-dollar business - company income Bramble Berry already 5 years ago exceeded $3 million. Not bad at all for a “cute girly hobby.” It was no coincidence that such great success awaited Anna-Maria. She was not afraid to take risks - in order to get the required amount for development, she mortgaged all her property. And luck, as you know, loves the fearless. But the main feature of the company was the L.O.V.E. concept, which went off with a bang. The vision was this: Bramble Berry changes the Lives of its customers by creating Opportunities, sharing Value and inspiring Expression.

History proves that success can await everyone - regardless of certain qualities, abilities and even health status. Anthony Schweiger at the age of 25, he built a successful “honey” company with a turnover of $260,000 - despite the fact that as a child he was given two terrible diagnoses, epilepsy and mental retardation.

Anthony became interested in bees as a child in the third grade. This is how a beehive appeared in the backyard of my parents’ house. Local farmers' markets have been great at receiving the young businessman's products, but the story doesn't end there. Anthony studied entrepreneurship, developed an affiliate network, worked on new products, a website, and packaging. As a result, his honey is on separate shelves in Fortune 500 megamarkets, and the assortment has expanded to include complimentary products - balms, scented candles and all kinds of honey-based treats. Therefore, all these “I don’t have enough strength/skills/knowledge” are nothing more than excuses.

But not only foreign heroes are worthy of becoming role models.

Russian entrepreneur Arkady Novikov built his restaurant empire after becoming very interested in . And he was interested in it for a reason - he failed the exams at the road transport institute, and out of despair he went to culinary school. Here Arkady opened up new world– beautiful and unknown.

And everyone knows Artemy Lebedev I dropped out of the advertising department at the Faculty of Journalism in my second year - for the sake of my love for.

Company Woolie, of which I am the founder, is also an example of how a business grew out of a hobby. Initially, I did not plan to be a businesswoman, and the first blankets were made to decorate my own home. I saw something similar in an Australian interiors magazine. It was impossible to order such products to Russia, and I decided - I’ll do it myself, what’s so difficult? In reality, everything turned out to be much more complicated, but that only made it more interesting.

At first, friends began to pay attention to the unusual home accessories and asked to knit them the same ones – and that’s how the idea of ​​putting production on stream arose. Preparations for the launch took several months, and earlier this year Woolie officially opened sales on Russian market. Of course, we are still a small company, but we are developing successfully and look confidently into the future.

Do it normally - it will be fine

If you decide to start your “dream business,” then the main advice is to do it well. Your business requires full dedication. Yes, you may have to forget about the pleasant word “vacation” in its usual manifestation. But doing what you love and working “from bell to bell” are completely different stories. Both in terms of labor costs and in terms of satisfaction.

For myself, I came up with several rules that helped me overcome the difficult stage of development:

1. First of all, evaluate how much you love your hobby? Are you ready to do it not 4-5 hours a week, but at least 40? Many aspiring businessmen “break” on the rocks of reality, because “well, it turns out, I can’t take photographs and process photos for 10 hours a day. It’s better to combine debit with credit”;
2. To understand how well your idea will work, you don’t have to immediately drop everything and plunge into the world of business - you can first try to create a circle of potential clients who admire your skills. Do you love to bake? Start a food blog. Do you sew unusual toys? Create a group where you will give master classes or record several videos for. Create a “movement” around yourself and your future product - this way the transition from hobby to business will be smoother and almost painless. And if no one is interested in your work, this is also a reason to think about it. Is it necessary?
3. Without start-up capital - nowhere. Even a hobby, as a rule, requires some kind of investment, and even more so a business. You can accumulate starting capital, you can take out a loan or borrow from friends. Here it is more important to spend it correctly. At the start, you should spend only on the essentials and test your hypotheses. And it is worth increasing expenses only as you receive a profit from the initial investment;
4. It’s rare that a business will immediately start making a profit, and the lion’s share of the profit will have to be invested in further development, so get a financial “safety cushion” - after all, your business will grow, and soon you will be able to combine it with your main job (what if you planned this from the beginning?) it will become difficult. “Stopping the planet” in this case - they say, now I’ll freeze the project, save up, quit and just mind my own business - most likely, it won’t work out without losses;
5. Approach your business like a real, grown-up business. Then he will grow into it. Entrepreneurs whose business grew out of a hobby are often characterized by a certain carelessness and a frivolous approach to work. Write a business plan, study the market, target audience, formulate and test hypotheses, invest in promotion, a high-quality website, good photos and so on.;
6. The following follows from the previous rule: contact professionals. Many aspiring entrepreneurs think that “this is a small project, I can handle everything myself.” But it’s better that you don’t have any website than one made “on the knee.” And there’s nothing worse than dull, low-quality, blurry photos on a brand’s page. Everything should be cool, and if you can’t do something the way you would like, run to the specialists. By the way, yes, they will have to pay - be prepared for such a turn of events;
7. Cheap and good, as a rule, does not happen. But there’s no point in wasting money left and right – despite the fact that the business grew out of a favorite hobby, its main task is to make a profit. Think over your spending, study suppliers’ offers, look for the best price-quality ratio, optimize costs;
8. When your business is your hobby, you have fun with everything. That's a plus. But you may lose quality - this is a minus. Try to concentrate on the most important things and don't spray. For example, choose only two social media(according to the preferences of your target audience), where your brand will initially be present - “connect” the rest in the future. You shouldn’t try to cover “everything at once”, it will turn out badly. And this, of course, is not only about;
9. When he grows up, don’t lock him in on yourself. Don’t be afraid to outsource some functions, and in general – to delegate. Don’t be greedy, no one will take your hobby away from you;
10. You obviously don’t need problems with the state, so it’s easier to do everything according to the mind and the law - this applies to both issues of registering a company and employees, and part of taxation. Yes, this is now not just a “hobby”, it is a company;
11. Be honest with clients. Word of mouth is a very powerful marketing tool, especially for young people small companies. First of all, this will help those whose business came out of handmade stories - which is very popular now;
12. Improve yourself and develop: don’t limit yourself to one direction, look more broadly, enter new markets, occupy new niches, expand your range of products or services. Don't limit yourself to just your hobby! There is still a lot of beautiful and amazing things in the world that you can be sincerely interested in - and at least find a new hobby, and at maximum - take your business to the next level. new level and increase income.