Starting a business is a heavy undertaking and sometimes I believe you have to be crazy to want to run your own business. But, you thought about it and you’ve decided being your own business is where your destiny lies. Good for you!
Unlike other budding entrepreneurs, you have a job to support you, so you don’t have the pressure of making this business pay off from day one. Smart idea! Because if you were to start your business without your job, and your business was the only thing paying your bills, you would be stressed out and would soon quit and run back to corporate.
Let me be upfront with you. Running a business and holding down a full-time job is not going to be an easy task but it is achievable.
Here are 5 things you need to keep in mind while juggling side hustle and your day job:
1.) Know what needs to be done. Make a list of all the tasks you need to do in order to get this business started and to maintain it. Write down everything, even the little things.
2.) Manage your time spectacularly. Start with this month. Use a planner, your email provider’s calendar or something like Todoist to keep you on task. Decide what are the important tasks that need to be completed this month. Then break down your task by week and decide what parts of the overall goal should be a priority of each week.
3.) Take this a step further and really look at how much time you can dedicate to your business each day. What hours are you going to block off to get stuff done? Some experts suggest putting a time limit on your tasks. This could be helpful but if you are trying to work in between jobs, feeding and taking care of kids, that may not work for you. Choose whatever works for you. The important thing is that you block out time every day to work on your business. Even if it’s fifteen minutes a day, whatever it takes. You may have to give up some sleep, lunch breaks, time with friends, etc. in order to get this business on the road to success but in the end it will be all worth it.
3b.) Is there anything you can automate? If you are writing blog post, write them ahead and schedule them to go out on certain days. What can you schedule or stack up ahead of time so you can free up time?
4.) Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Who supports what you are doing? How can they help you? Use the people and resources around you.
[Related Post: Time Management &Work-Life Balance: Interview with ChaChanna Simpson]
5.) Take time off and have fun. It can be very easy to get caught up in both your job and your business but take some time off every now and then and relax. Recharge your batteries, spend time with family and friends.
Speaking of friends and family, there is a chance they may not support your dream because they are concerned about you not having a steady paycheck. To them, that is such a terrifying thought, especially in “this economy.” Believe it or not, they are crushing your dream because they believe they are helping you and saving you from the possibility of failure. It’s really out of love. So when they come to you with their doubts, don’t you dare get sweep up in their insecurities. Sit, listen patiently, thank them for their concern and forgive them for their ignorance. They just don’t know what we know. Poor things!
You can definitely start up a successful side hustle business while at a full-time job. All it takes is knowing what needs to be done, scheduling, finding support, patience, and most importantly, confidence and determination.
ChaChanna Simpson is an author, speaker, life coach, and owner of Twentity.com LLC — a company specializing in helping twentysomethings graduate into the real world. Oh, and she does this all on the side while working a full-time job.