You’ve spent hours, probably even days, slaving over a hot stove or a hot laptop compiling that perfect pantry or refrigerator full of recipes. You searched far and wide for the best ingredient, the freshest produce, and you even made a note of which appliances were the most efficient use of your precious energy. You did all this thinking you might one day be able to monetize your culinary greatness and make some decent money off your culinary skillset.
But what happens when you finally decide to package your recipes in a cookbook and decide to sell it?
Selling a cookbook is a little bit like selling a smartphone app, in that you may very well make money, but it’s not going to be what you were banking on. When you look at the numbers, self-published books may only earn you about $500 to $1,500 per month, on average. If you want to make more, you’ll need to resort to other income sources.
So you’ve decided to change gears and look for other ways to make money from your culinary skill, where do you start?
Create a digital marketing strategy
Do you have a blog? Have you ever considered turning it into a digital marketing hub? You can use it to promote your culinary skills and eventually monetize the site?
Blogs aren’t just about putting words on paper, they can also be powerful digital marketing tools. According to HubSpot Blogs, an average of 464% of consumers buy something after reading an excellent blog post. That’s a lot of potential sales right there!
If you’re wondering how to make money from a blog, consider starting your own digital marketing strategy. In today’s world, everyone is a potential customer, and if you have a blog post that’s entertaining, informative, and offers some great tips or advice, you’re much more likely to gain trust and loyalty from your readers.
Offer freelance services
If you’re really good, maybe you could even offer your services as a freelance editor, proofreader, or writer? You can take your pick from a variety of industries, such as health and wellness, family and parenting, careers, and money management. You’ll need to apply to plenty of different companies to find work, but once you do, you can establish yourself as a go-to freelancer in your industry. Just make sure you bill your clients accurately and send them a nice little invoice at the end.
Freelance writing isn’t quite as glamorous as other options, but the work environment can be quite rewarding. According to ZipRecruiter, about 81.2% of Americans are currently working remotely, either full-time or part-time. That’s a big chunk of the population, and if you can write persuasively and professionally, you may be able to land a few freelance writing gigs. Just make sure you have a professional-looking portfolio and that you bill your clients accurately.
Sell your photos on a stock photo agency website
If you’ve got a decent camera and know what you’re doing, you could try your hand at professional photography. You could use your camera to take stunning photos of people, landscapes, animals, and almost anything else. From there, you could sell your photos on stock photo agency websites like Shutterstock, Dreamstime, or Fotolia. You may need to register with these websites to be able to sell your photos, but once you do, you can find customers and potential customers in the millions. The great thing about this option is you can work remotely, so if you’d like, you can take this route while travelling or even on holiday!
The downside to this option is, like with the other freelancing options mentioned, you’ll need to do a lot of pitching to get work. If you’re pitching your services as a photographer, make sure you have a portfolio with plenty of samples to show the agency. If you’re lucky enough to secure a contract with a stock photo agency, make sure you adhere to the terms and conditions of the contract. These websites can be fickle, and you’ll need to keep your eye open for any changes that may be made to the terms and conditions of your contract. When you do finally land a job and begin to see the benefits of your labour, you’ll wonder why you didn’t pursue this path sooner!
Sign up for a gig-working platform
If none of the other options seem like a fit, you could try your hand at gig working. With this strategy, you’ll essentially be working for yourself. You’ll be generating your own work, and you may or may not get paid (it largely depends on the size of your gig, if any). Platforms like Amazon Mechanical Turk, Upwork, or Fiverr allow you to connect with customers and potential customers across the globe. If you can perform certain tasks (such as taking surveys, moderating content, or copying and pasting), you can earn a few dollars here and there.
Gig working offers a bit of a diverse work environment. Depending on the size of the company you choose to work for, you may get to work for others or work remotely. You might even get to choose your own hours, so long as you meet the criteria of the organisation (typically at least 18 years old, have a reliable computer or mobile device, and live in one of the 50 United States or Canada).
The downside to this option is you’re on your own. You’ll need to set your own schedule, manage your own finances, and deal with any problems that may arise. If you decide to pursue this option, make sure you’re prepared to put in the necessary time and effort to learn how to navigate the platform effectively and build up a steady stream of revenue.
Start an online store
If all else fails and you’re still seeking ways to make money from your culinary skills, you can always start your own food truck or restaurant. People love to eat, and if you can come up with a delicious and unique food product that the world has never seen before, you can bet they’ll be lining up to try it. You may even get to use your culinary skills to their full extent, which could mean higher earnings.
The downside to this option is, at least initially, you’ll need a lot of capital to get your establishment up and running. You’ll also need to secure a location for your catering business. In terms of starting a food truck or restaurant, make sure you do your research beforehand. There are a variety of pitfalls you may need to avoid, and you should seriously consider all aspects before committing. Even then, you may not be able to rely on this option alone to pay your bills. You’ll still need to find other ways to earn revenue.
Start an online café
If none of the other options seem like a fit, you can always start your own café. You can use your culinary skills to create unique, handcrafted drinks and food items, and offer them to customers online. You might even get to make your own decisions regarding what kinds of drinks and foods you’ll offer, so long as you follow a set of rules. You can also use your culinary skills to bake pastries and dole them out to your customers. Alternatively, you can use your culinary skills to cook dinner for your customers, make personalized burgers, and give them mini-greens with their meal. Essentially, with this option you can use your culinary skills to their full extent while also earning some extra money to supplement your regular income.
The downside to this option is, again, like with the other freelancing options, you’ll need to do a lot of pitching to land a job. Once you do, however, you can expect to find customers and potential customers in the millions. The great thing about this option is it doesn’t necessarily require you to be located in an area where there are a lot of café opportunities. You can actually start a café anywhere, even in your home, and still make money.
Start a burger-joint
If you don’t want to go the café route, and you’d rather stay close to home, you can always start a burger joint. People love to eat, and if you can cook a delicious burger that you can charge relatively high prices for, you can be sure that you’ll be able to draw in customers.
The downside to this option is, once you’ve established yourself, you’ll need to continue to draw in customers, even if your food isn’t cheap. Additionally, you’ll need to make sure that your burger joint is legally operating in your area. If you do get caught by the authorities, you could face some hefty fines or even prison time.