I know, you’re probably thinking to yourself “how the hell can I start an online business while working full-time — all while taking care of my house, cooking, grocery shopping, doing laundry, and trying to keep my head above water”.
Yes, it’s not a simple task.
BUT
Now start thinking about having extra money, maybe being able to quit your job, hire a cleaner, being debt free, and taking vacations.
So let’s go over a few things to help you get a grasp on how to start an online business — what this would entail — and then you can hash it over.
Can I Start an Online Business While Employed?
There shouldn’t be anything legally that prevents you from starting a business while employed. However, if you have some type of work contract, you may want to go over it just to make sure you aren’t stepping on anyone’s toes.
Get Your Mental Ducks in a Row
To me the beginning part of setting up a business while working full-time is all mental.
In other words, you really need to do a lot of thinking before you even begin. Things like:
- You have to know WHY you are doing this. And this is so important because your WHY is going to keep you going when things aren’t going like you want, or if you are thinking about giving up. And write it down and keep it where you can see it. No BS here, this really does work.
- How serious are you about pursuing this and willing to learn what you have to know in order to get your side business up and running.
- What kind of side job/business would you even consider doing? What things are you interested in and love doing, or talking about?
- Where would you start if you don’t know what you are doing?
Your mindset is going to play a HUGE part in all of this.
Prioritize Your Time
When I first started looking into a side business I just kept thinking, where the heck am I going to find free time to actually sit down and focus on building a business.
But I just kept thinking about getting older and not wanting to be a financial burden on my boys. So while I was sitting waiting for my doctor I made a list of things I can cut from my schedule in order to make time for my side business. (there’s an example of making use of free time)
When you prioritize you time, and stick to it, you are actually going to feel less stress than just “winging it”.
The first thing you need to do is figure out WHEN you can work on your business.
For example, I get up every morning at 3:30 and that’s when I write. It’s amazing how thoughts and words just pop into my head that early. I love writing when I first get up.
But that’s me.
You have to do what feels right for you.
Working out a balance is tough at the beginning but once you establish a routine, your time issues won’t hit as many bumps in the road. Sure, life is going to get in the way, but then it’s easy to get back on track once you have a routine set up.
In order to prioritize your time properly, you have to also figure out what you are willing to give up — time with family and friends, TV time, date night — because time is going to be your biggest asset while starting a business.
So figure out a schedule and REALLY try to stick with it because it will save you from pulling out your hair.
Once again, it’s all going to depend on how important starting this business is to you, which is going to determine what you are willing to give up —temporarily — in order to achieve what you want.
Planning your work routine is a big step for prioritizing your time.
First you figure out when you always have free time, like weekends and evenings. Write in some time for your business during those hours.
During your lunch break you could always do some tasks that are simple and allows you to switch quickly back to your job mode. For example, you could do some research, or some to-do lists, or simple outlines on things you are going to write about, or things you want to learn.
And once you establish your routine, you will see consistency and productiveness in your business, and that’s a real motivator.
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Set Realistic Goals – And WRITE Them Down!
This sounds like a simple task, but personally, I found this a little overwhelming at first.
I mean, you’re planning out your future on a piece of paper. It just seemed daunting to me.
So I just never did it — for anything — I never set a goal!
And then when you start researching and learning about starting a business, any kind of business, or even life in general, everything states WRITE down your goals.
Goal setting is pretty much all over the freaking place.
Yet I never wrote down a single goal.
Until Now.
And so far I’m staying on coarse.
So why now? Why am I all of a sudden writing down my goals?
- Because this is for real.
- Because I don’t want to be a financial burden to my boys when I’m older.
- Because I don’t want to continue going to a job when I’m 70 or older.
- Because I don’t want to stress about something breaking down (car, new roof) and how will I pay for it.
- Because I want to be able to do things that people do when they are no longer going to their job.
- I want to do a Viking River Cruise.
- I want to visit my boys in Oregon more than once a year.
- I want to visit my family in New York more often.
So I wrote down my goals and think of them as my plan of action.
So let’s go over just a few things:
Start out small – What are you going to do tomorrow that will move you a little closer to what you want to accomplish?
Yup, just write about tomorrow.
And you can easily do this when you get in bed at night. Do this every night for about two weeks – just jot down what you are going to do tomorrow for your side job/business.
More than likely it will just involve learning more about an online business and where to start. But write it down every night for your tomorrow.
And stick to it, accomplish what you wrote down. For two weeks – just do it. You want to get to the point that when you get into bed you automatically reach for your notebook to start writing your list for tomorrow.
So if it takes a little longer – so be it.
But remember, you always have to keep moving forward, not sitting in a rut.
Now be more specific – In other words, you should now have an idea of what you are trying to accomplish with an online business so your goals need to reflect that. For example, I’ll have my website up and running by 01/01/01.
You want to have daily goals, weekly goals, monthly goals and annual goals.
Sticking to your daily goals and completing what you set out to do will always lead to accomplishing your weekly goals, which helps with your monthly goals and so on and so forth.
But you have to stay on track!
Keep your goals with you and read them over while sitting in traffic, a doctor’s office, standing in line at a grocery store, or wherever you may. Read them over and really commit to them. Know them well.
Let someone know what you are doing – Someone close to you, someone that will help you stay on track and give you encouragement to keep going when you are questioning yourself.
Because you will question yourself.
I was real hesitant about this because I’m such a private person, but I did tell someone close to me and told them to always ask me how I’m doing with my business.
This makes me accountable for my actions.
And Yes, There’s Always Outsourcing
There are going to be aspects of your online business that you are going to hate doing or that you just suck at doing.
That’s just a fact.
Just like any business out there, you can’t possibly do it all.
Always remember, this is a Business — and how many business owners do you know who do their own bookkeeping, their own marketing, their own sales material, their own graphic design, build their own website, maintain their website, write articles for their websites, or take care of all their inventory. All of it.
When’s the last time you went to a restaurant and the owner was doing it all — all the cooking, waiting on tables, cleaning off the tables, washing the dishes, etc.
You get my point right?
They HIRE people to do most of the work, or at least work they don’t know how to do or don’t want to do.
And that’s what this is — Your Business.
Outsourcing is normal in today’s online world. In 2018, just in America, there were 53 million freelancers doing a variety of jobs online.
So you see, you aren’t alone in this adventure — there’s always back-up.
Now IS The Time
Always keep remembering why you are doing this.
Have it written down where you can see it, especially when you are feeling it’s a lost cause.
Take it day-by-day and one step at a time.
Keep yourself organized and keep moving forward.
Taking action is the key — even the smallest of steps will move you forward.
And please don’t give up — it will be so worth it in the long run.
Have a Wonderful day!
