How To Manage An eCommerce Business With Your Day Job

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The moment some people get an amazing idea to create a website, they quit their day job and focus all their attention on developing the website. It is actually very good to take the bold step of “I quit”, but, it can also be a very risky move when your website is just at its early stage of development.

If you say goodbye to your day job at the early stage of your website development, you might have too many unpaid bills on your kitchen counter. The website isn’t paying yet, the job that pays the bills is now history; you will be in a very messy state. In this state, you will not even be able to focus on that dream website of yours properly. The big unanswered question which would lie thickly on your chest would be, “How do I survive?”

My main bone of contention is this; it is very good to have a good idea for developing a website. However, you do not need to feed your day job to the birds simply because you have an idea. You can create a balance between your idea and your day job without causing any chaos. Striking a balance between the two will help you to keep paying the bills and developing your idea. It would be just like multi-tasking.

Now, you might think I am sounding like a machine and not a person. Hey! Just relax okay? I am fully aware of the struggle. Working an 8 to 6 job, catering for the kids, parents and even the dog can give you zero breathing space. I know the hustle baby. I am only telling you that despite these challenges, it is still possible to keep your day job and still create a successful e-commerce business on the side, at least, until the e-commerce business begins to pay the bills and you can quit the day job.

Sidepreneur

Combining your day job with your e-commerce business makes you a sidepreneur. Being a sidepreneur is not going to be a very easy job. But, if others can do it, you can. It would take some sacrifices which you would have to do in a bid to see your business become a success.

I am trying to look for the most diplomatic way to say all these but the fact is, giving you the straightforward truth is the best. This might sound too harsh or inconvenient but the good thing about it is that; you will earn your reward for hard-work. The rough patches you will encounter as a sidepreneur is temporal.

The human nature is created to adapt to any circumstances. If you have a habit of waking up by 12pm daily and you try to change it to 7am, it would definitely be a herculean task in the beginning. As you continue trying to keep up with the alarm sound at 7am, you will get familiar with it. This will become an easy routine. People who keep 2 or more jobs daily will understand this theory. The more you do a thing, the easier it will be.

So, you can combine that day job with your online business if you really are committed to it. Below are some guidelines to been a successful sidepreneur (keeping your day job alongside your online business):

1. Strategize

When you have a clear picture of what you are doing, it becomes easier for you to do it. An idea which you bury in your head will remain vague until you put it to writing. When you carefully map out that idea on paper, it looks very real and achievable. A good businessman is the one who puts everything on a schedule. This will help him to dedicate his time to the business as well as avoid procrastination.

It is necessary for you to have a calendar to schedule everything you need to do for the day. Using a calendar and a clock will help you to identify the free times you have between and after your day job. Once you identify these times, you can fix your online business into it. With such a schedule, you will still be able to create time for rest.

This routine will eat into a bit of your sleep time as well as fun time. Well, it is usually worth it in the long run.

2. Be Committed

You cannot afford to slack on a schedule. You already have a mapped out strategy for combining day job and side hustle. This strategy will not pick itself up and work by itself. It requires you to be committed to it for it to function properly.

Focus on your plan strictly like a diet. The moment you begin to lose focus, you will destroy all your plans. Hence, avoid things that will make you lose focus. Stop doing those unnecessary things that really do not matter.

“It is not enough to be busy…The question is: what are we busy about?”-Henry David Thoreau

Always remember that you have limited time and so much work to do. So, you should get up from the front of that Netflix screen after some time and go back to business.

3. Delegate

There has always been strength in numbers and there will continue to be. It is good to walk alone but it is better to walk with someone. It saves you time, energy but it does not save you money in the beginning.

Your day job income can provide good capital for your online business. If you have capital, then you can easily delegate one or two tasks to people. These delegates will make up your team. They will be cheering you on while you are busy at that day job. Your bookkeeping, accounting, shipping, logistics and several other things can be burdens lifted off your shoulders when you have delegates. You will give these areas to professionals to handle while you deal with your day job and other little things involved in your online business.

Your team will work towards making your business a success.

4. Take Baby Steps

Starting small does not make you a chicken. it only helps you achieve success at a reasonable pace. Do not start your business with a machine gun approach and end up getting worn out in the very beginning.

Break all tasks down into bits and take them one step at a time. Slow and steady wins the race. You cannot be a sidepreneur and you want to rush everything like other full time entrepreneurs. You will only end up crashing your plane. Take it at your own pace as you have already laid out in your schedule and you will achieve much without feeling unnecessary pressure.

You are not the first to combine two occupations and you will certainly not be the last. People have done it and you can do it too.

Stefan Loble started BluffWorks while working a day job. He did not quit his day job until his online business became old enough to conveniently pay his bills. You can be a Stefan Loble if you choose to. With focus and a never give up spirit, you will develop that online business into a big time money-making venture.

In a nutshell, nothing is impossible until you try. Quit thinking you are too weak to multi-task. You will not realize how strong you are until you handle daring situations. Start that dream e-commerce business today and do not quit that day job. The two can work hand in hand if you try. So, give it a try, Will you?

inspiring success story

01/02/2022 - Terry Harrison