The leap from doing what you love to making money doing what you love can be a big one. It can take time. Courage. And sometimes you'll wonder if it'll even happen at all.I spoke with 5 different entrepreneurs in the geek space to learn exactly how they crossed the bridge from hobby to business, and got their biggest pieces of advice for people hoping to do so themselves.Featured in this video:+ The Pim D&D Viking - TTRPG Writer, Editor and Podcaster - 0:51+ Kat & Tat - Co-Owners of All Ages of Geek - 2:02+ Logan South - Actor and Fangsmith - 5:30+ Tabi - Owner of Geekful Creations and Freelance Writer - 8:44+ Sol (Sole's Roles) - TTRPG Creator, Game Dev, Streamer, and Health & Wellness Coach - 10:59Don't forget to check out the blog, www.geekswhogetpaid.com for more stories and advice for making money with your hobby. If you liked this and want to support future episodes, consider checking out our Patreon for extra awesome Patron benefits!  https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaidSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

Cylinda woke one day inspired to create immersive tabletop gaming candles, then the hard work of building a small business began!When you think about D&D and other tabletop games, many things come to mind. Minis. Dice. Books and maps. But Cylinda is out to add another dimension to her customers' games--scent. She creates immersive candles with scents that will be familiar to any D&D player. The Tavern. The Grand Archives. River Ruins. And many more. In this interview, we talk about how she started her business having never made candles before! And the very deliberate planning and choices she made along the way to build success.Learn about it all in this episode, or check out a shortened transcript over at https://geekswhogetpaid.com.If you liked this and want to support future episodes, consider checking out our Patreon for extra awesome Patron benefits! https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaidFollow Delve Candles:Website/Shop: https://delvecandles.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/delvecandlesInstagram: http://instagram.com/delvecandlesSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

So you want to add Twitch streaming to your resume? In this minisode, Ami talks about how you can highlight the best aspects of your Twitch streaming journey to get you in the door for your dream job. If you liked this and want to support future episodes, consider checking out our Patreon for extra awesome Patron benefits! https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaidSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

Are you ready to start earning money from your faithful followers through the likes of Patreon, Ko-fi, or affiliate and sponsorship programs?FG is the creator of DnD World, an amazing text-only D&D RP Discord server with over 6,800 members, and has made it her mission to become a leading expert in monetizing geekpreneurship ventures, especially in the TTRPG space. In this interview, we chat about how to choose a monetization platform like Patreon and Ko-fi, how to build your offerings, and how to use affiliate programs and sponsorship opportunities to your advantage. Learn about it all in this episode, or check out a full transcript over at https://geekswhogetpaid.com.If you liked this and want to support future episodes, consider checking out our Patreon for extra awesome Patron benefits! https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaidFollow FG and DnD World:DnD World Discord: https://discord.gg/dndworldDnD World Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/DndworldFG's Creator Services: https://ko-fi.com/fangirlcrazilyTwitter: https://twitter.com/dndworldtweetsSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

How does a Let's Play YouTube channel grow into a business with a full team of content creators across multiple formats (podcasts, articles, videos, and more)?Sean Velasquez from All Ages of Geek is here to lay down the knowledge about how they did just that. The secret isn't just more followers or any YouTube secret sauce. In this interview, learn how passion, community, and a solid foundation of business knowledge will help you start bringing on your first team members and see explosive growth. We'll talk about it all in this episode, or check out an abbreviated transcript over at https://geekswhogetpaid.com. If you liked this and want to support future episodes, consider checking out our Patreon for extra awesome Patron benefits! https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaidSkip to a Question:1:28 - Tell me about yourself. Who is Sean Velasquez?4:02 - What is All Ages of Geek?5:44 - What does "interactivity" mean to you?7:19 - How does the combo of content and community work?9:07 - Say a content creator wants to get involved creating for a network like AAoG, how do they do that?11:16 - What it means to be part of the All Ages of Geek team.13:55 - How did you transition from Let's Play channel to full content network?16:08 - What is the All Ages of Geek community like?23:28 - How does the Patreon work? How are the tiers set up?25:08 - Side Quest: Talking about the philosophy of Orks. 29:22 - More on Patreon perks.31:23 - How do you balance free vs. paid content?34:42 - How do you adjust from "one-person-show" to a full team?45:30 - If someone is looking to make that transition, from one person to having a team, what is the one piece of advice you would give?Follow All Ages of Geek: Website: https://allagesofgeek.com/Twitter: https://twitter.com/AllAgesofGeekPatreon: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=3268781Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

If you've ever wondered what it takes to start and succeed with an Actual Play podcast, be it for D&D or another TTRPG, Ron and Zach of the Severed Sons D&D Podcast are here to help! Since launching their first episode in October of 2020, they've built a Twitter community nearly 2,500 strong, have hosted a celebrity guest, landed a major product sponsorship, and caught the eye of the one and only Freddy Prinze Jr.!  And that's not all. We'll talk about it all in this episode, or check out the full transcript over at https://geekswhogetpaid.com​. If you liked this and want to support future episodes, consider checking out our Patreon for extra awesome Patron benefits! https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid​Follow Severed Sons:Twitter: https://twitter.com/SeveredSonsDnD​ Podcast: http://severedstudios.buzzsprout.com​ Merch: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/severed-studios​SS on Gegghead: https://youtu.be/kbOnt45fCQYCheck out some of Ron's favorite resources:- How to start a merch store on TeePublic: https://www.teepublic.com/blog/7-best-tips​- Monument Studios: https://www.monumentstudios.net/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

Jessica Osborne is a woman of many hobbies and talents, but it was her love of gaming and tabletop roleplaying that helped her break into the world of video game voice acting.She's here this week to tell us all how she got started and even landed her first major role in SpellForce 3. Plus, she offers some practical tips on how YOU can get started as a voice actor or voice-over artist too. Follow Jessica:- Twitter: https://twitter.com/littlecuppajo​- Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/littlecuppajo/​- Jess's TTRPG (itch.io): https://littlecuppajo.itch.io/thelandwhispers​Want more practical tips on how to turn your geeky hobbies and interests into a dream job? Visit the blog at: https://geekswhogetpaid.com​ for new stories and interviews every week!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

What is it like to make a living with your art and illustration work? Shannon May Hall knows because she's living that dream every day. In addition to her ongoing art and design work, she's the creator of not one but TWO successful Kickstarter campaigns for her Tabletop RPG inspired enamel pin sets, and now runs a whole store featuring TTRPG inspired goodies based on her art. In short, she's killing it. In this interview, learn the nitty-gritty about how she found and maintains her success, with practical advice and steps for other aspiring artists. Want more stories and interviews about how to turn hobbies into hustles? Visit us at: https://geekswhogetpaid.com​Follow Shannon May:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shannonmayart/​Twitter: https://twitter.com/shannonmayart​Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shannonmayart​YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAEU...​Shop: http://shannonmay.art/Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

RJ Cresswell has played Dungeons & Dragons for 27 years and logged over 1,000 hours of gameplay as a Dungeon Master. Learn how he turned his hobby into a side hustle as a Professional Dungeon master, plus learn his tips for running fun, inclusive games for players of all ages and skill levels. To find RJ or set up a game with him, visit:StartPlaying: https://startplaying.games/game-maste...​Twitter: https://twitter.com/rj_cresswell​Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/rjcresswell​For more tips and ideas on making money with YOUR hobby, visit https://geekswhogetpaid.com. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)

Erin (aka Dark Elf Girl) took her love of D&D, terrain building, and miniature painting and turned it into a part-time job that now makes up half of her income. Learn how she builds community, diversifies her income streams, and best of all builds the confidence to sell her art. This and a lot more in Episode 1 of the Geeks Who Get Paid podcast!Want more geekpreneur goodness? Check out geekswhogetpaid.com for more stories, guides and resources! New content every week. You can support Dark Elf Girl on:Instagram: @dark.elf.girl and @darkelfdareEtsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/DarkElfPaintsKo-Fi: https://ko-fi.com/darkelfgirlSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/geekswhogetpaid)