Balancing a Business on the Side With a 9-5 Job

A full-time job can be a lot depending on the industry that you’re in. For many people, a full-time job isn’t enough.  They need more money. In my opinion, there is still time for you to have a business on the side. I’ve been working my current full-time for over four years. I’ve had some sort of business on the side also know as a side hustle during most of that time. From time to time, I get questions from people asking me how I’m able to do both of those. Some folks think that they’re too busy or that they don’t have the time. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I believe that anyone who has a full-time job can do a side hustle. In today’s post, I’ll be going over how to balance a side business with a 9-5 job. Hopefully, you’ll be able to take some of the things from this post and apply them if you are struggling with a side hustle and a full-time job.

Balancing a Side Business With a 9-5 Job

I don’t. Just kidding. I do several things to make sure I manage my side hustle. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’ve gotten better over the years. Discipline has been one of the keys. There are also other things that you have to do.

Take Advantage of Your Lunch Break/ Downtime

At my job, I currently have an hour lunch break. It typically takes me 15-20 minutes to eat. During the rest of my break, I do something side hustle related. I usually reply to blog post comments or ship out packages. There’s a post office about five minutes away from my office. I’m usually over there multiple times each week.

If I have downtime at the job, I’m usually working on content or doing something else. If you have a job that has downtime, instead of wasting your time watching shows or videos that won’t help you, be proactive and work on your side hustle.

Wake up Early

On Monday-Thursday, I set my alarm 40 minutes earlier than the time that I used to get up. I use the additional time to do things to help my business. I review courses, read, and of course work on content. That extra time can be key for you as well. I’ll be the first to say that every week is different for me. Some days I can get up and get straight to work. Others, I’m moving slow and may even fall back asleep for 20 minutes. The good thing is that I am getting better though.

Stay up Later

If getting up early isn’t your thing, staying up later may work better for you. Some people are night owls and can get work done. I used to be a night owl, but things seem to be changing. I’m not nearly as focused after 10 PM like I used to be. Recently, I tried to do some work after 11 and fell asleep at the computer.

Use Fiverr When Needed

As you probably know by now, designing t-shirts is one of my favorite side hustles. I’m not a designer at all. My photoshop skills are horrible. Instead of using hours that I don’t have to try to teach myself Photoshop, I go to Fiverr and get my designs from there. I found a designer that had good reviews and nice samples. Now, all I do is send a message and give them a description of what I want my design to look like. In most cases, the designer can have the designs ready in 24 hours. You can’t beat that. I get 3 designs for $7. That’s a win. Not only does Fiverr have designers, but they have editors, writers, and more, If you need something done and you don’t have the time to do it, check out Fiverr.

Delegate Tasks

This year I finally realized that I couldn’t do everything so I hired a VA (virtual assistant). It was one of the best things that I’ve done. With the rebrand, there was no way that I’d be able to update all of my old blog post images in a timely manner, so I knew I needed help. One of my friends referred me to her VA. She has been able to update images, check broken links, and more. If you feel as if you don’t have a lot of time, delegate tasks. If you don’t want to get a VA, at least ask your friends or family if they can help you with things from time to time.

Sacrifice

The next way that I balance my business on the side with a 9-5 job is by sacrificing. Sometimes it sucks, but I tell my friends and family “no” at times. I can’t always be available to do things.  I’m working on something that’s bigger than me and soon we’ll be able to hang or kick it whenever. Sacrificing could be different for everyone.  For me, it’s not going out as much as I used to. For others, it could mean not going to dinner as much or something of that nature. One thing that I want you to realize is that sacrifice is only temporary. I need to say that again. A sacrifice is not forever, it is temporary. Once you reach your goal, you can go back and do what you use to as long as it’s not messing up the business of the money.

Be Honest With Yourself

I’m honest with myself. There are no handouts. If I don’t get this shit done, then it won’t happen. These blog posts aren’t going to write themselves. My eBay store won’t automatically get items added to it. If I don’t put in the work the business won’t grow. This is my life and the only way it will get to where I want it to be is because of the work I do. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t get that when it comes to their side hustles or business on the side. You have to put your heart and soul into it if you want to be a success. If you don’t want to do that, you need to reconsider what you’re doing.

The Weekend

I do a lot of work on the weekends. I do the majority of my writing for the blog on Saturday and Sunday mornings and I also do most of my thrifting on Saturdays. In most cases, I’m able to get up early and get straight to it. I also list most of my items on the weekend as well. I usually get all this done by 5 or 6 pm. Then, I have the rest of the day to relax and go out or do more work if I choose to.

On most Saturdays & Sundays I write and jot down blog post ideas and edit posts for three to four hours in the morning. After that, I spend another 4-5 hours (mostly on Saturdays) at the thrift stores. This schedule works pretty well for me. A similar schedule could do well for you also. Figure out what works and then make it happen.

Watch Less TV

This is very important to me. I used to love watching TV back in the day. It would be on during all times of the day. I can’t believe some of the trash (reality shows) I used to watch. When I wasn’t working a few years ago, I decided to stop watching TV until the afternoon (4-5 pm). I noticed that my productivity got better. I also stopped looking at the news and reality TV.

Since that time, I’ve started back working, but I still don’t watch as much TV as I used to. On Saturdays and Sundays, I don’t watch TV before 2 pm (unless it’s football season). The quietness in my apartment keeps me focused a lot longer.

Content Calendar/Notebook

If you have a blog or a website you need to have a content calendar or notebook. I have a calendar that I printed out at the beginning of the year. I have post ideas organized for different months. I’m not always 100% accurate with the posting dates, but it does help to keep me organized.

I also have a notebook similar to this one where I write my blog post ideas, concepts for future shirts, and possible future business ideas. I know we are in the age of technology, I love writing things out. It helps the creative juices stay flowing.

Below are some of the tools that I used to help me manage my side hustle with a 9-5 job.

Tweetdeck

I use Tweetdeck to schedule posts on Twitter. There are many tools out there, but I love Tweetdeck.

Tailwind

I use this tool to schedule my pins for Pinterest, You can schedule hundreds of pins on there. I update it once a week, Tailwind is giving all new users a free month to try their service. Sign up with my exclusive link here.

Related Reading: How to Use Tailwind For Pinterest & Instagram

Amazon

I go to Amazon to get my notebooks, planners, and other items. If you need to grab those items, you can do that here.

If you are struggling with finding a business on the side or side hustle for you, I’ve included a few ideas below.

Sell on eBay

If you are looking for a side hustle that will make you decent money, check out eBay. I’ve been selling on the site for a few years now. I got serious about it in 2017. Now, I currently bring in $800-$1000 per month selling in my spare time. I sell all types of things including shoes, hats, and board games. I have a free webinar where I go over some basic tips that will get you started. Click on the link below for more info.

eBay for Starters

Selling Ebooks

Do you like to write? Do you think you can come up with stories that people want to read? If so, you should consider selling ebooks. We are at a time where it’s easy to do a lot of things with not much overhead. Creating ebooks is one of them. My friend Michelle makes hundreds per month selling ebooks. You can do the same thing. She has a course that will teach you how to it. Check her course out here.

Teespring

Are you a designer? If so, you should check out Teespring. It’s one of the platforms that I use to make t-shirts. It’s free to use. All you do is upload a design. You get paid a percentage when someone purchases a shirt.

Related Reading: How to Sell Shirts on Teespring

Sell on Fiverr

I talked about Fiverr earlier in this post. Not only can you buy things on Fiverr, but you can sell things as well. People multiple services such as writing and designing. Sign up for Fiverr today and start making some extra cash.

Scooter Charger

This side hustle has been around for a couple of years now. If you live in a city where people are riding those annoying electric scooters you can sign up to be a charger. Lime and Bird are two of the companies that are hiring for scooter chargers. I tried this side hustle and it wasn’t for me. The homie, Young & Debt Free ATL has been making a killing with it though. Check out his IG page to see him in action.

Managing a business on the side with a 9-5 job isn’t the easiest thing to do, but it can be done. I hope the things that I shared in this post can help you manage your side hustle better.