I belong to many Facebook groups dedicated to having an online business. One common question I see asked a lot is “how to start a business when you have a full-time job?” I see that the majority is split into two camps. The first half wants to quit their job/studies immediately and go fully into their business, without actually having a solid financial backup plan in place. The second half finds it extremely demanding to start a business when their day job eats up most of their time.

Because I have a full-time job myself while simultaneously working on other projects, I feel that I have something to add to this subject. By discussing it, future entrepreneurs will have a better understanding of what it really means to start a business while having a full-time job.

Set your priorities straight

If you have a full-time job and you are thinking how to start a business, then you must set your priorities straight before you actually get yourself deeply into anything. It is important to understand that having a business on the side is going to require a lot of your time, effort and will probably need investment. This may include working on your business before work, after work and during the weekends.

If you know already in advance that you won’t be able to spend a lot of time on it, then you must pick a type of business that does not require you to work on it daily.

And that’s the beauty of this modern world. In order to run your own business, you don’t need to own a store and spend half of the day there. No, thanks to the world wide web, it is enough to just have a laptop and an internet connection. You can always find a type of online business that will suit you most depending on how much time and money you got. However, keep in mind that the easier the business idea and the less work it requires from your side, the less money it will bring you.

If you want your business to someday replace your day job, then you want to take it seriously from day one. This means a lot of effort and being consistent with it. But like I said, everyone is different and each person has to evaluate how much time they are capable of giving to their “side hustle”. If you have a job and a family, then it is going to be a lot harder than if you just have a job. But either way, nothing should stop you from pursuing your dreams if you know that’s what you really want from life.

Do not quit your job!

Like I mentioned in the beginning, many people ask the question of how to start a business when they have a full-time job. Some people are cautious about the idea, while others are ready to quit their job, uni, college or even school to be able to work on their business full time. I always say that this is a bad idea.

Starting a business has a certain amount of risk involved. I am not talking here just about losing money, but rather the fact that you may think that you have a god idea, but in reality, it may not be such. If you quit your education or work, and your business does not provide you the cash, then what are you going to do? Get into debt? That’s why the optimal approach is to always be covered in some way; have some sort of backup.

If you are still young and have a school to finish, then, by all means, do finish it. Some people think that education is a waste of time. And while it may be so in a way, basic education teaches us how to think critically and to analyze the world around us. This is something that will always be useful to you, even when you start your own business. Plus, having a degree will allow you to find a job in case you get tired of your business or it doesn’t work out.

Recommended for reading: College Dropout – 7 Reasons Not to Be One

On the other hand, if you are already working, then continue doing it until your business is able to pay for your living. Having a real job while working on a business is harder, but at least you have the money to pay for everything, including house, food and even your business expenses. Fewer worries related to money means sleeping better at night.

How to start a business – commitment!

Regardless of what your business idea is, you have to stay committed to it.

Honestly, this point is not only for people thinking how to start a business while working full time, but for starting a business in general. In the beginning, always be prepared to give a lot and to get nothing in return!

Again, it’s clear that many people in the Facebook groups are so concerned with the results, that they fail to see that having a business is not like working at a day job, where you get paid monthly based on a number of hours you put in. No, with a business, you will get paid for getting real results. And results, unfortunately, do not come instantly. It takes time to grow your business.

Of course, every case is different. Different business models generate a different amount of income and require a different amount of work. But the general idea is that no business is easy. The only way to succeed is to stay consistent and committed to your ideas and your goals.

There was a time when having worked on my business for a while, I also felt frustrated that I was not achieving the results that I have set for myself. This frustration grew and affected my daily mood and life in general. Fortunately, after having given it some serious thought, I decided to remove all unnecessary deadlines and “money to be made” quantities from my mind, and instead, to just keep working hard and to see where it will take me.

After changing my attitude, it became so much easier to live. I was pretty happy at that moment that I have a full-time job that covers me and allows to patiently work on my business, without the fear of becoming totally broke. Nonetheless, I stayed consistent and the results followed.

It is worth it

If you belong to the group of people that has a dream, but is thinking how to start a business when you already have so much work to do, then all I can say is that it’s worth it! Just make sure to take it easy.

I don’t know about you, but I am the type of person that cannot stay still. If I am bored, I will do things that are pointless or even unhealthy. And even though I have a full-time job, I still think that starting a “side hustle” was the right thing to do. I am able to constantly learn so much about the world and to continue growing myself in so many different ways.

There is a common problem that when people finish their studies and get into their career path, their life becomes like a routine. They are dissatisfied with what they doing, mainly due to the fact that their choice of education was based on the “my parents wanted me to study this” or “I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, so I picked this” choices. This leads them into thinking that they could, in theory, do something else, but there is just too much work to do and too little time to make it happen. Life becomes quite “heavy”, so to say.

My advice is to not think too far ahead. Take one small step at a time. Do some research into what you would be interested to do, and start getting into it, but slowly. By doing it that way, you make sure to not overload yourself with too much stress, and you are less likely to make silly mistakes.

I, for example, hate paperwork. So the idea of filing taxes or starting my own company scared the living hell out of me. But I took a deep breath in, and just took one small step at a time. I managed to find some people to help me, and I got it over with. Morevoer, now that I know how to do these things, doing them again requires no effort. And that’s how everything is in business and life in general – you learn once, and it’s no longer hard. I also realized that if I could do these things, anyone can!

In conclusion, find a business type that you really want to do, something that will drive you. If are able to see your dream become a reality in that field, then all the work associated with it will be like a hobby for you. Besides, sooner or later, a business should bring you additional money. Just think of all the opportunities that will open up for you, when you are, say, financially free and not dependent on your “nine to five” job. 🙂

I hope you enjoyed this post on how to start a business while having a full-time job!

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