how to start a business when working full time
Starting a business can sometimes seem like a dream that is only possible for other people. It’s easy to understand why – starting a business is scary. There is the fear of failure, along with the financial difficulty of taking a chance on yourself. Plus, where are you supposed to find the time?
However, for as many reasons as there are to not start a business – there are just as many telling you why you should. Whether you want to put more focus on a hobby to work on in the background, or you want to take the plunge and work for yourself; starting your own business offers opportunities and freedom.
Despite the allure of working for yourself – we can’t all be lucky enough to quit and dive in headfirst. Most of us work full time, and it can be hard to juggle everything at once. That’s why we have come up with some small and simple tips we have learned. Bridgers was founded by two full time employees who have learned the difficult lessons so you don’t have to. Here are our top three lessons!
1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew!
It can be very, very tempting to jump straight into the deep end and immediately fill your schedule. However, that leads you right into burnout territory.
Instead, make a plan that works with what you have to give. Work out how many hours you have a week that you can dedicate to your side hustle and then stick to it. Remember that if you slowly build your business, you allow yourself the time to learn as you go. If you take on too much too fast, there is the risk that you will end up feeling overwhelmed and give up on yourself.
By accepting and understanding your own limits (even if they are temporary while you work full time), you give yourself the grace to become a successful business.
2. Utilise your free time!
It can sometimes be painful to think about how much free time we waste in a day. The endless doom scrolling on social media, or the frustratingly addictive mobile phone games in my case, can take up hours of your time.
Set clear rules with yourself to make the most of your time. Set yourself realistic goals. For example, spend your one-hour lunch break working on your business, and then one hour after dinner. That is already two hours a day (ten hours in your working week) that you can dedicate to yourself.
With those two hours a day – take away all of your distractions. Now, you have two full hours on uninterrupted work a day.
Remember to keep a strong work/life balance though. Starting a business can take over your life – and you’d be naïve to think there won’t be any late nights or long days. However, make sure they are the exception, and not the rule. Start as you mean to go on.
3. Don’t create conflict for yourself.
One thing is for sure when starting a business while working full time: don’t bite the hand that feeds you. Be careful to not cause any unnecessary conflict with your employer.
Remember, when you are working for them – you are working for them. While it can be tempting to do your own thing during quiet times, it is also wrong for a lot of reasons. Let’s put aside the moral aspect for a moment. If you develop your business during company hours, using company equipment – your work will then be property of that business. There are serious legal consequences if you breach your contract. So, be smart.
Keep your business and your employer separate. Make sure that there are no links to your current business – don’t steal any clients while you work there, don’t use their resources. Make sure your business is strong enough to stand on it’s own.
Nicole Rodrigues.