Regardless of your current line of work, you may not feel completely fulfilled within your singular career. The reasons for this could be many—additional interests, insufficient funds, lack of passion. If you’ve found yourself in this situation, the solution may be starting up a small side business.
While the idea of a side business may appear intriguing, it’s important that you go about doing it correctly in order to make sure you haven’t spread yourself too thin and will actually get the results you’re looking for. To ensure you will find both professional and personal fulfillment with your side business, here are three tips for success.
1. Make Sure You’ve Got A Solid Support System
Before you jump into starting a side business, it’s vital that you have some people in your corner. If you’re married, make sure your spouse understands what you’re doing and why you feel the desire to do this. Margie Zable Fisher, contributor to Entrepreneur, shares that with so many different aspects of your life now needing a decent portion of your time, it’s crucial that your family understand that their share might be cut a bit short for a while.
Options that don’t require you to invest all your excess time can also be very fulfilling side businesses. If anyone has reservations about what will need to be put into this side business in order for it to be successful, you may want to choose a business that doesn’t require too much time up front, like investing in real estate or starting a drop-ship company.
2. Get the Right People On Your Bus
If the side business you’re starting will be a little more labor intensive than you can handle on your own, getting the right people on board with you will make your efforts much more worthwhile. Gabrielle Karol of Fox Business shares that once you have identified your personal weaknesses that may hinder the success of your side business, look for partners who can pick up that slack.
Many people are wary to bring on partners right at the beginning of a new business venture until they know exactly how things are going to work. So if you find yourself in this camp, you can still identify people who can help you in areas you need some assistance without making them a partner in your business by picking their brains and having them mentor you in the one specific topic in which you need help.
3. Remember That This is Your Side Business, Not Your Bread and Butter
A side business is just that: a business you start on the side of your main business. For this reason, Patrick Hull, contributor to Forbes, states that you should feel some freedom from the financial stress of losing everything is this business doesn’t work out for you. This freedom can make you more likely to take chances that you may not take at your full-time job, giving you great opportunities for success and growth by playing with risks you may otherwise be uncomfortable with. Use this frame of mind to your advantage to get the most out of your side business and achieve your personal and professional goals in this endeavor.
By having the supportive relationships you need, getting the help you require, and taking calculated risks, you can have a side business that gives you everything you wanted from this new challenge. Good luck!
