Crafter

Who knew that you could turn a passion for hair bows into a business? That's exactly what Kristin Black, president of Unbowlievable, did back in 2007. Black says she started by selling her wares at her local craft shows in Washington, D.C., but, due to demand, she winded up opening a retail location just 10 months later. Similarly, Julie Gastelum turned her hobby of making jewelry and greeting cards into a business by selling her creations on etsy.com under the name of her new business Kattfive Creations.

Dog Trainer

If you're a dog lover, consider starting a dog training business, says Steven Appelbaum, president of Animal Behavior College, a vocational school that specializes in animal-related career training. He says graduates from his school have opened businesses that range from private training lessons to full-fledged doggie daycare and training facilities.

Collector

Rather than throw out all that cool stuff you like collect, think about starting a business around selling it. Consider the story of Joe Maddalena, who, as a kid growing up in Rhode Island, watched his parents, both antique dealers, wheel and deal. Apparently the apple didn't fall far from the tree, and by the time he turned 14, he had acquired more than 1 million baseball cards, thousands of autographs, and more than 100,000 comic books and original pieces of art. Maddalena has since turned his passion for collecting into a business, where he now runs Profiles in History, an auctioneer of Hollywood memorabilia and leading historical documents, such as the last known signature of President John F. Kennedy and a letter written by President Abraham Lincoln related to the Emancipation Proclamation that is believed to have a value of more than $5 million.

Musician

It's a great time to turn your passion for music into a real business, says Natalie Nicole Gilbert, a Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter. With the advent of new tools and digital distributors like TuneCore.com, she says, you can release a full album across the Web (through outlets like iTunes, Amazon and Napster) for just $25. A single song will cost you only $10. With a competent computer, you can set up a home studio for about $300 and, while digital recording software varies in price, packages like GarageBand and Audacity are relatively cheap. Alternatively, you can rent studio packages through sites like MusiciansFriend.com for under $100. If you are even more budget conscious, you can even digitize your old demo tapes and release them free on NoiseTrade.com, AmieStreet.com or SoundCloud.com.

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