You’ve decided to run an online business in addition to your other obligations such as a full-time job and family, and it’s much harder than you thought. It takes time to figure out what to do, and how to balance it all. It’s probably easier to learn from the experts first. We asked several experts from the YEC community how to best balance an online business with the rest of life. Their answers may surprise you.
“Many small business owners run an online business on the side in addition to their regular day jobs. How do you successfully manage that business, even as you balance it with your work and family life?”
Tips for Balancing Side Hustles
Here’s what YEC community members had to say:
1. Learn How to Delegate Effectively
“Naturally, entrepreneurs are the type of people that do things themselves. Oftentimes, entrepreneurs are reluctant to ask for help. If you are going to manage your time effectively, you need to delegate tasks to people you trust. Find great employees that you trust and delegate work functions. Let your significant other lead family decisions. Be sure to be present when you are at work and equally present when you are with your family.” ~ Eddie Lou, Shiftgig
2. Block Out Times on Your Calendar
“Blocking out times in your calendar to focus on your small business or side hustle is extremely helpful. It will ensure that you have specific blocks dedicated to growing your business without other commitments taking over that time. It will also allow you to balance family commitments as you can agree on and communicate the best times that work for your family as a whole. ” ~ Diana Goodwin, AquaMobile
3. Focus on Organization, Boundaries and Time Management
“In addition to my “day job” of running my clinical massage studios, I have a consulting business for wellness practitioners who want to start or grow their business and work with those clients primarily online via Skype. I enjoy having diversity in my work, and like the challenges that each job presents. I’m able to do both by staying very organized, having boundaries and managing my time well.” ~ Rachel Beider, Massage Greenpoint, Massage Williamsburg
4. Set the Right Expectations
“The best way to manage a side business is to create processes and set the right expectations for yourself and the business. It cannot take more than a few hours to run weekly. If you have the resources, you can delegate to employees but if not, you must rely on tools to run this secondary business.” ~ Duran Inci, Optimum7
5. Employ a Question and Answer Bot
“You’re not going to be available to answer everyone’s question while working another job. Even an FAQ page limits how much you can assist a customer. Investing in a question and answer bot will prompt your customers to engage with your brand and give them the personal reassurance that their questions are being answered.” ~ Chris Quiocho, Offland Media
6. Start Small and Scale Up
“if you’re busy with a career, family or other responsibilities you can’t expect to start a huge business from the get-go. Schedule a certain amount of time each week to start growing your business. Gradually scale up and outsource as much as you can to free up more time. You may also have to scale back on less productive activities such as social media, TV or whatever takes up your spare time. ” ~ Shawn Porat, Scorely
7. Automate Wherever Possible
“Whatever can be automated should be. It’s worth the investment. Don’t waste your precious time doing something artificial intelligence can take care of. If it costs you less than you make to do a task then the task is low impact and high input. Meaning it takes lots of time and won’t be a huge impact on your business or life. Outsource it.” ~ Codie Sanchez, Www.CodieSanchez.com
8. Get Family Involved
“My family loves helping with all my projects. I get more done quicker, which leaves me extra time with them. Plus, it helps to have people I trust helping out. ” ~ John Rampton, Calendar
9. Clear Your Head With Exercise After Work
“For three years I worked as a full-time software engineer during the day and e-commerce business owner on nights and weekends before my e-commerce business started taking off. The biggest challenge for me was having the mental energy to “go a second round” after a long and stressful day at work. Hitting the gym from around 6 pm to 7 pm helped energize me to take on business challenges at night.” ~ Kevin Tao, NeuEve
10. Trust Others
“It is easy to try to do everything yourself, but you will find yourself in way over your head. You have to trust the skills of those around you and delegate where possible. It is the only way to give multiple businesses a shot at succeeding.” ~ Adrien Schmidt, OpenBouquet
11. Love Both Businesses
“You have to love both businesses. If you love them both, you will dedicate the time and energy necessary in order to make them succeed. It’s not easy, but if you’re dedicated, it’s easier. ” ~ Colbey Pfund, LFNT Distribution
12. Bundle Work Where You Can
“Efficiency is key when managing multiple roles. Particularly if you’re working on a business on the side. One of the biggest efficiency killers is multitasking — switching between tasks multiple times within a short period of time. Bundling work is the best way to unlock personal efficiency as it allows one to focus on the task at hand and complete it faster and better.” ~ Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure
13. Create a Standardized Operational Manual
“One thing I have noticed is that I never have time for “fun,” but as I grow older, I am realizing that my fun comes from my passion. When you systematize your process and create a standardized operational manual, you can build a team that basically manages themselves. Without a deep process, it makes it difficult to manage and it cuts into your family/friend time. Start by documenting every step of your business inside and out. ” ~ Sweta Patel, Silicon Valley Startup Marketing
14. Schedule in Some Fun
“When people make a schedule, they make a list of obligations. Then they get resentful because they are not enjoying their lives. However, you can schedule in a trip to the park with your family or a beer with your friends. Don’t skip that item on your agenda, because it is important.” ~ Zev Herman, Superior Lighting
Photo via Shutterstock
This article, “How to Balance a Side Hustle with other Commitments – Including a Full Time Job” was first published on Small Business Trends