Do you wish you knew how to build your side hustle while enjoying the perks of working a 9-5 W2 Job?
I have been helping corporate women looking to transition into business do so without the frustrations that come with starting a side-hustle.
But running a business can be daunting – especially at the beginning. In fact, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 50% of new businesses fail within their fifth year, which makes many business owners want to run out and quit.
With this in mind, I hope to encourage you to build your side hustle while working 9-5 in this blog post.
The crucial step to take if you’re still employed is to lay down the foundations, build and grow your business by creating a sustainable influx of customers you can count on every month. Doing this will give you the opportunity to keep the safety and financial stability of your 9-5 as you watch your side hustle grow into a business that can allow you to live on your terms.
Since balancing a side hustle and full-time job can be challenging, proper planning is key.

Here are the steps you need to make the launch a breeze:

Take inventory of your skills and passion

First, find out what your strengths are and how well you can use them to serve your side hustle.
The two questions you can ask yourself to help you know what your skills and passion are, are (1) is this something you love to do and (2) are you good at this?

Strength + skill + passion = business idea.

However, if you lack in any of these areas, God forbid you lack passion, you’ll have to consider enlisting help from others to make up for what’s lacking.
You can also try to validate your business idea by finding at least one paying client; working on a client’s project can help you figure out the strengths and skills you possess.

Time is of the Essence

Second, remember, remember (I can’t emphasize this enough) that a side hustle is more than just a hobby. It’s not something you do when you feel like it. It’s something you work at every day and make time for no matter what.
The truth is, if your business idea is pompous or requires too much of your time and work, you may give up quickly. To avoid this from happening, you’ll need to be strategic not only with when but how you work, so that you can keep your sanity and enjoy the little things in life, such as your family.
It’s okay to set bold deadlines for yourself and stick to them to ensure that you meet your objectives.

Set SMART Goals

Third, set SMART goals. Know your WHY. Ask yourself these questions to help you nail your why (1) why do you want this so bad, (2) what do you want to achieve doing this and (3) does this excite you?
Believe me, getting the answers to these questions right will give you the mojo you’ll need to keep you going on those days that you feel like giving up.
SMART goals are simply Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound and they can be set on a monthly, weekly or daily basis.

Map out the Necessary Steps Required to Achieve Your SMART Goals

Lastly, once you’ve identified your skills and passion, have set time aside to achieve your SMART goals, the last step on deck is to map out the necessary steps to go for what you want and achieve it.

This last step might involve resources, commitment, focus, knowing when and how you’ll work and if you’ll need extra help to get your side hustle off the ground, grow and scale it.
I know when I talk about resources, the first thing that comes to mind is money. However, let it be known that some side hustles do not require financial input to get started. Resources could refer to the tools you need to fuel your side hustle to profitability.
You can decide to get extra help by hiring a virtual assistant or a team you can delegate skills outside of your expertise and bandwidth. As a devoted employee, you can then decide on your terms what your side-hustle journey will look like. Use that stable income to outsource help with a rockstar VA or tools to keep you organized.

In conclusion,

you need a step by step plan to launch your side hustle while working 9-5. Having a side-hustle while working full-time gives you the flexibility to pursue other passions while your living expenses are covered from your day job.

Whether your goal is to transition out of your 9-5 or not, since you’ll be treating this as a business, not a hobby, you will want to create a sustainable influx of customers you can count on every month.

xoxo

Liz