Most people choose to start their own
business only after some level of work experience. It could be because they
don't like the idea of having a boss and want to step out as their own. It
could be because they learned critical skills that enable them to be a leader
in their own right. It could even be because they came up with a great idea in
the normal course of working. Of these three motivations
stemming from an existing job, only one stems from the job being intolerable.
In the other cases, the job is fine, but entrepreneurship serves as a valuable
alternative.
Given the fact that stepping out as
an entrepreneur is risky and staying with your current job is safe, many
potential entrepreneurs consider the idea of starting their own business while
maintaining their full-time jobs. This approach doesn't work for everyone, as
it has some critical limitations, but it also has some key appeals. Here are
some tips to help you manage your fulltime job as well as start your own
business on the side.
1.
Schedule tasks between part time
business and full time work
As simple as this idea might seem to
some people, making a schedule is important and yet difficult to follow. You
are guaranteed to succeed as long as you diligently follow the schedule, making
only relevant changes, over the course of one month; rinse and repeat. Online
services like Google Calendar, or any other that you may find more preferable,
do help. Use mobile devices to help maintain your schedule. Not only can you
manage your daily work activities whether you are at the office or on your way
home, mobile phones help make things more convenient than schedules solely
saved on your computer; which can sometimes be inaccessible.
2.
Work with priority and relevance
You must know the type of work that
you can handle. You should not load yourself with new material and hope to
learn along the way. While that is ideal in college or external classes they
will only be a burden when it comes to balancing full time job and part time
business. So just focus on a business that you understand so well so that you
can reduce the amount of time required from you to learn the business.
3.
Maintain a clear separation between
your job and your business
When you're on your job you will need
to be 100% about your job, but when you're working on your business you'll have
to be 100% about your business. If you start working on your business while
you're at your job, you may put your job at risk, especially if it becomes a
habit. Make sure it doesn't, at least until you're at a point where you're
ready to ratchet your business up to full-time.
4.
Don't use your employers resources
for your business
Never use your employers computer to
conduct your business, even if its just to check business emails from time to
time. The system is owned by your employer and you have no right to privacy on
it. I just heard of an employee who was fired for visiting a job board
5.
Don't burn your bridges
When that blessed day comes that you
can finally leave your job to make your business your full-time occupation, be
sure to handle your exit gracefully. None of us know what life holds, so its
best to assume that you may need a reference or even your old job back at some
point in the future. Keep your departure friendly and cooperative, and do what
you need to to keep the door open. Your employer (company or individual) may
turn out to be a lead for a client in future. I am sure you don't want to blow such an opportunity.