Part Time Business Owner Tips

   Many articles abound with much advice given to full-time small business owners, but less is written and provided for part-time business owners – those that are attempting to get a business up and running while working a full-time job.

I came across this piece titled, “7 Tips for Part-Time Business Owners” that provides some of that much needed advice. Here’s an important tip mentioned in the article:

“Be ready to give up personal time. You won’t have much time for TV, reading or hobbies you used to enjoy. Be sure the sacrifice is worth it, or both your job and your business will suffer.”

I would imagine that many people in the position of attempting to get a startup off the ground while working a full-time job are aware that sacrificing personal time will be necessary . . . but just how much of that personal time were you thinking would be sacrificed? Because it’s a lot, as many small business owners will tell you. And, most times, many that are operating new startups are surprised at just how time consuming this can be and are caught off guard once the ball is rolling.

So take heed of the advice offered here – you won’t have much free time at all, but as stated, in the end, the sacrifice will have been worth it.

And here’s another tip from the article that may seem like a “no-brainer,” but is one that you may be guilty of without even realizing it:

“Don’t overstep your boundaries. Making calls on company time or using your employer’s supplies or equipment for your own business purposes is a big no-no.”

Have you taken a call regarding your business during company time? Just for a couple of minutes, maybe? Or possibly used the company fax machine once or twice? It’s easy enough to do and may seem harmless at times, but be mindful of the boundaries you may be crossing and the fact that you may possibly be putting your full-time employment position at risk.

As a rule, set your personal business hours to evening and weekend hours.  Make clients and others aware of this and when those calls and emails are coming through, as hard as it may be, do not answer them or respond to them until your personal business hours begin. If you listen to messages or read the emails, you’ll be tempted to respond. At the very least, if you don’t respond, it may be on your mind the rest of the day which could distract you from your full-time employment.

Save yourself some grief. Set those hours and stick to them.

And here’s another tip that I’d like to add, and it’s a fairly simple one:

Just hang in there! Nothing happens overnight and Rome wasn’t built in a day. It will take lots of sacrifice and hard work to reach your ultimate goal. But once you do, I can guarantee you that you will find no greater feeling of accomplishment. You will have ups and downs. At times, things may even begin to look bleak. Expect this and plan in advance for ways to calm yourself, stay focused and ride out the rough times. The sun does shine again and these ups and downs will give you some great experience handling challenges.

As Epictetus once said, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”