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Do you want to build a business as a side hustle while still working your 9-5? Then this post is for you.
You want to start your business, start to make a consistent income before you hand your notice to your boss. But you think you don’t have enough time to start your business because you’ve got kids and a thousand things to juggle.
How are you possibly going to build a business on top of everything you already have to do?
Build a Business
Let’s face it, there are a lot of people who dream of working for themselves, being their own boss, and having the freedom to do the work they love, travel the world and have control over their own time.
That dream can quickly turn into a nightmare, when they find themselves overworked, stressed out and crying to be free of the job they’ve created for themselves.
How do you avoid this and create a business that doesn’t make you more overwhelmed and stressed?
First, you have to realise the difference between building a business and creating another job for your self like freelancing.
Business Owner vs Self-Employed
Business owners create systems that enable them to scale their income without them having to be directly involved in every aspect of the process. Self-employed people trade time for money, meaning they have to personally show up to earn the cash.
Business owners leverage the skills and talents of others to work in the business, whilst they work on the business. Self-employed people rely only on their own skills and work in the business and on the business.
Starting Out
When starting a business as a side hustle you can either start as self-employed then transition to a business owner or go straight to business owner mode.
But be warned if you start off self-employed make a plan right from the beginning on when you will transition to being a business owner. If not you’ll get stuck here forever.
The Freelancer
If you’re a freelancer then you are self-employed. If you’re a freelancer that scales your business by getting the work in but outsourcing a lot of it to other freelancers then you’re becoming a business owner.
Therefore you can start off as a freelancer, getting the work and doing it yourself. You then put systems in place for others to do the work. You start to outsource some of the work you get meaning you can take on more clients.
Eventually, you stop doing the work instead you’re focusing on creating systems for marketing and client retention, outsourcing all the day to day client work.
You, my friend, have just transitioned from self-employed to a business owner. Here are 4 more ways to make building a business on the side less of a burden.
These tips will help you build a sustainable business and still have a life.
Become a Project Manager
Starting a business is a massive project with several steps and milestones that will help you make your business a reality. That’s why I created the Step Up Boss Up Road Map.
Breaking up starting a business into stages with clear milestones enables you to create a timetable that fits into your life. The key stages in building a business are:
Idea Up
STAGE 1
Develop Up
STAGE 2
Set-Up & Start Up
STAGE 3
Don’t Try to Do It All Yourself
Building a sustainable business requires that you leverage the talents and time of others.
When you’re just starting you may not have a lot of money to outsource, however, there are a lot of cost-effective marketplaces out there where you can get quality freelancers.
If you are trying to do everything yourself, then you are on the path to burnout and stress.
So stop, and head over to freelancing platforms like Fiverr, Upwork and Peopleperhour.
Separate your tasks into those that you love and are especially suited for (such as marketing) and those you dislike and aren’t good at. Then make a solid plan to get those that you aren’t good at off your list of things to do.
If you feel like you can’t afford to outsource it all right now, start with what you tend to procrastinate the most on, even if it’s just a few hours each month.
Don’t Allow Yourself to Work All the Time
The trouble with working at home is that you live at work. And that means that there’s no clear line in the sand between your work day and your home life.
Since there’s always work to do, it’s easy to find yourself working every available moment—often to the detriment of your family relationships.
You can help avoid this by:
- Setting—and maintaining—clear work hours
- Having an office with a door you can close when you’re done
- Scheduling time for family and other activities
- Taking time for yourself
Vacations and Downtime Are Important
Don’t create a business that requires you to be “in the office” every day. At the start, you may need to be available more, but you should definitely be planning for the day when you can be “off the grid” for extended periods of time.
- Have trusted contractors who can handle things when you’re not available
- Leverage automation tools such as autoresponders and auto webinar systems
- Create repeatable systems so you’re not always re-inventing the wheel
- Have multiple income streams in your business, that don’t require you to be there to earn.
While you might not be able to hit the road with no internet access for weeks at a time, at the very least you should be able to reduce your workload to a daily check-in.
Building a Business as a Side Hustle is Possible
Starting a business as a side business can be tough, but with some careful planning, you can get the essential work done and still have time to go out a have a Mai Tai with the girls.
Sound impossible? It’s not. You can create a team—and the systems they need—to successfully run your business without becoming overwhelmed and overworked.
Even if you start out as a freelancer you can put systems in place that will give you your time back, eventually transitioning into a full-time business owner.
If you’re looking to get started with any of these steps, check out the Build Your Business Vault – where you’ll find templates, worksheets and checklists that will help you get started!
