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Effective Tips to Help You Juggle Work and Establish a Business

Many people are caught with a dilemma – they have established a business but they don’t know if they should quit the comfort and assurance of having a salaried job. For most, being able to quit is a luxury that they cannot afford. There are many things to worry about – keeping up with daily expenses, paying bills and, of course, supporting the family. For most, there really is no option but to juggle both a day job and a business; a stressful situation if ever there was one.

But even though juggling two important things at the same time is difficult, it is not impossible. You can take comfort in the fact that many successful business today, even some of the top companies in the world, started out as a side business.

If you’re committed to keeping your job while working on your new business, then the following tips will set you on the right path:

Create a schedule

In order to deal with two things with any effectiveness, you will need to establish a workable schedule. Your schedule should be quite clear. You can do this by identifying clearly defined and achievable goals. Make it as clear and as precise as possible so that your objectives are not vague. This will help you focus more on what you need to do and avoid any kind of frustration.

You should also prioritize your tasks. Start with the most important tasks since it is more crucial. Then follow it with tasks that will take more of your time.

Talk to your employer

It may sound counter-intuitive, but talking to your employer or boss about your new business may actually help you and your business endeavor. Many employers actually appreciate that their employees are taking the initiative to venture on their own, and most also do not want to lose valuable employees. Talking to your boss could possibly lead to them offering you more flexible hours or a part-time gig that will address your need for regular income but also give you more time to spend on your business.

Work on holidays

Juggling your job and your business means you need to maximize the hours available to you. It may suck but you need to work during the holidays. This work is not just relegated to your business but also to your work. Working during the holidays means overtime pay for you that you can then put into your business. Working on your business during the holidays, on the other hand, allows you to pour more effort into strengthening your start-up.

Establish a routine

Much like establishing a schedule, setting up a daily routine will allow your mind to become more efficient in shifting focus from work to business. You can establish a routine where you will work for your boss until a certain hour of the day; then log off and focus on your business tasks. A routine should be strictly followed – don’t allow yourself to make excuses for not doing something or even procrastinate. These are things that will only ruin your chances of becoming efficient in both your work and business. Discipline is extremely important. It will help define your success.

Resource and support are important

You can’t start a business and expect it to succeed without putting in the effort to study how you can grow your business. You should get into the mind frame that every single minute is an opportunity to learn and apply newly acquired skills and knowledge to your business. Be a voracious reader and researcher and learn as much about your new business as you can.

Being resourceful also means knowing when you need additional support. Don’t look at this as an unnecessary expense. The well-informed businessman knows when additional help is needed to run the business. Getting another person to help you operate your business is an expense that is justified because the money you put into people is an investment that will help your chances of successfully growing your business.

If you do take this route, make sure that you manage your team well. Communicate with them constantly and set up meetings if necessary.

Learn to segregate your time

Part of establishing a routine is learning to clearly segregate your time. You shouldn’t work on your business in your day job, and vice versa. Be fair. Allocate the necessary time for each and don’t cheat. It will help if you establish different email addresses and contact numbers for both your business and your work.

Clearly segregating your time between your work and your business is important. Ultimately, it is a matter of respect. You should be respectful enough to your employer to avoid working on your business while at the office.  You never know. Your employer may become your client in the future so you need to establish a good relationship with your company.

About the Author:
Sean Stone is the CEO of LikeJobs.com that lists job opportunities for job seekers.

*Photo Credit: bottled_void (Creative Commons)