Alison's Money Rule

Contest Queen

Posted November 28, 2011
Originally Published May 11, 2010

With a little creativity and a lot of determination it is possible to make your passion pay.

Consider the contest queen. Her name is Carolyn Wilman, an Oshawa resident with a marketing background who’s won everything from kilograms of Goldfish crackers to a trip to the set of a Harry Potter movie in England.

Wilman began entering contests not only for fun but to balance motherhood with the always important task of creating some income. In her quest for free goodies she even combed neighbours’ recycling boxes for the pin codes on packages to enter manufacturers’ website contests.

I know, you’re thinking dumpster diver! But wait for what happened next. She parlayed her passion into a book, a dynamic website with tips (www.contestqueen.com) and a consultation service to companies to create and improve their promotion strategies.

I love oddities and this story particularly appealed to me because Wilman took something she already liked to do and turned it into a paying proposition.

Her story should be encouraging to those who’ve lost a job, are reluctantly considering a return to work after having a baby or who are just plain sick of the rat race and want to do something different.

If count yourself among the above group then I suggest you start by doing an inventory of your life. List your skills, hobbies, passions, education, training and resources. Put particular emphasis on what makes you feel good.

Then start thinking about how you might meld these interests and strengths into something that can make you some money and feed your soul at the same time. Don’t hesitate to share your inventory with your friends and family. They may provide you with unexpected insight or make connections that you don’t see.

But be practical! Don’t expect to quit your day job tomorrow. Test your big idea out in your spare time and don’t get stuck on one course of action. Let the notion breath, change and grow.

Do you have a passion that might pay or already does? Tell me about it. I’ll collect your stories and pass them on to feed the ideas of others.

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