You’ve got a great idea for a business. You’ve got what it takes to be an entrepreneur. But you’re not quite ready to give up the security and benefits of your current job to take the plunge. So, you decide to do both for awhile.
Working for someone else and working for yourself at the same time will inevitably cause some conflict, whether with your boss, your schedule, or at least your sense of priorities. But, it’s not impossible to do both things, and many people manage it quite well. Here are a few tips:
Do find out what your company’s policy (official and unofficial) is on "moonlighting." Have you agreed in your contract to let the company own you and your time 24 hours a day 7 days a week? What precedent has been set by other employees who have been discovered working another job or starting their own business? With this knowledge you can make an informed decision on whether keeping your day job and starting your own business would be a conflict of interest.
Do let your clients know when you are available to conduct business. You may fear you won’t be taken seriously if customers know you aren’t devoted full time to your business. However, you will make a far worse impression if you say you are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and never answer calls during that time. Customers will be frustrated by failed attempts to reach you, and interpret your lack of prompt response as being unprofessional.
Do keep one, and only one, calendar. It might seem logical to have one calendar for your job and one calendar for your home business, but this only works if you are literally living two separate lives. When you’re setting up an appointment to meet with an investor or new client, it’s important to know that you’ll be out of town for three days at the beginning of next month for a trade show.
Try using a comprehensive organizer or day planner (I recommend ones made by Franklin-Covey) in which you’ll have room to record long-term commitments and goals, as well as short-term planning, project tracking, to-do lists, expenses, and other important information all in one easy to access place.
Do find and take advantage of "lost" time to make your schedule and overall life less hectic. It can be quite a chore to balance the demands of your day job and the demands of starting your new business. Instead of staying awake until midnight every night to play catch up, attempt to get some of the little things done at times when you normally are idle, like the 30-minute commute on the train each morning, or while you’re waiting for your children to come out of school in the afternoon.
Working for someone else and working for yourself at the same time will inevitably cause some conflict, whether with your boss, your schedule, or at least your sense of priorities. But, it’s not impossible to do both things, and many people manage it quite well. Here are a few tips:
Do find out what your company’s policy (official and unofficial) is on "moonlighting." Have you agreed in your contract to let the company own you and your time 24 hours a day 7 days a week? What precedent has been set by other employees who have been discovered working another job or starting their own business? With this knowledge you can make an informed decision on whether keeping your day job and starting your own business would be a conflict of interest.
Do let your clients know when you are available to conduct business. You may fear you won’t be taken seriously if customers know you aren’t devoted full time to your business. However, you will make a far worse impression if you say you are available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and never answer calls during that time. Customers will be frustrated by failed attempts to reach you, and interpret your lack of prompt response as being unprofessional.
Do keep one, and only one, calendar. It might seem logical to have one calendar for your job and one calendar for your home business, but this only works if you are literally living two separate lives. When you’re setting up an appointment to meet with an investor or new client, it’s important to know that you’ll be out of town for three days at the beginning of next month for a trade show.
Try using a comprehensive organizer or day planner (I recommend ones made by Franklin-Covey) in which you’ll have room to record long-term commitments and goals, as well as short-term planning, project tracking, to-do lists, expenses, and other important information all in one easy to access place.
Do find and take advantage of "lost" time to make your schedule and overall life less hectic. It can be quite a chore to balance the demands of your day job and the demands of starting your new business. Instead of staying awake until midnight every night to play catch up, attempt to get some of the little things done at times when you normally are idle, like the 30-minute commute on the train each morning, or while you’re waiting for your children to come out of school in the afternoon.
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