Working for yourself may fill in your need to explore your creative side on your terms. It feeds your passion, and you want to share it with people around you. But, you might think that working full-time is hindering you.
Maybe you are searching for something more than being in the rat race of clocking in and out then going home to wake up in an endless loop. But, if you have the skills, talents, and confidence, you may prove yourself wrong.
Becoming an entrepreneur is unpredictable because the market is saturated with new business trends—making it difficult to stand out from the crowd. The only way to succeed is to be uniquely valuable to your customers.
Entrepreneurial work requires dedication to reap the rewards of the effort you pour into something you believe. But, most people don’t have the financial stability to make ends meet without working full-time to pursue their dreams.
It’s a good thing that there are odd jobs out there that you can do without starting from scratch. It’s apparent to find a side gig that you’re already good at or something that you enjoy doing in your spare time.
To give you an idea of where to begin, here are eight businesses to start while working full-time.
Graphic Design
Finding a client is a walk in the park if you have existing credentials in graphic design. Clients are more eager to hire somebody with background experience because they already know the fundamentals.
Graphic design is easy to learn if you don’t have any accreditation yet. But, it takes time, understanding, and mastery to excel and potentially earn a six-figure income. You’ll need a catalog that showcases your skills and an efficient cover letter to stand out from the rest of the applicants.
You can earn extra cash by selling templates and premade logos, creating personalized brand logos for businesses, printing stickers, and trading your proficiency through online courses and webinars.
The popular platforms that graphic designers use to find clients are Upwork, Linkedin, Freelancer, and AwesomeWeb.
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Online Courses
People are always looking for something new to learn. If you are an expert at something, you might as well create an online course so they can learn it from you.
Treat your existing skills and knowledge as a cash cow to earn extra money. All you have to do is record your lessons, then upload them to your website or preferred platform. You also need to market your services to your potential clients.
Selling online courses can bring you new opportunities and prove yourself as a credible source of knowledge to your audience.
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Social Media Management
Instead of aimlessly scrolling through your social media accounts, become a Social Media Manager and make money off of it. Some business can’t manage their social media accounts because they are too busy conceptualizing and innovating their products. They need extra hands to handle their social media accounts—here is where you can step in.
With your knowledge of the ever-changing landscape of social media, you can add value to your clients’ business. They require someone to post content consistently, run ads, audience engagement, report, and track progress.
Focus on a specific social media platform first. Then, work your way to learn and manage another network like TikTok, Youtube, Reddit, Snapchat, Linkedin, and Pinterest.
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Yoga and Meditation Instructor
There is a growing concern about physical health, so wellness trainers are taking a step further by providing their students with yoga and meditation classes online.
Becoming a yoga and meditation instructor, you don’t have to compromise your practice time because you can record yourself during your session, provided that you have to give detailed instructions. Finally, you market it online.
You may upload snippets of your videos to your social media handles to entice your audience to enroll in paid classes via Zoom or Skype. Another option is to upload your prerecorded sessions on various online platforms.
The yoga industry doesn’t require an instructor to have a certification, but you gain credibility amongst your clients. As long as you are confident in what you’re doing and you can deliver clear instructions, you may become a successful instructor in this field.
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Freelance Writer
Being a freelance writer can be a lucrative sideline because you can get paid by the hour, per word, or project. Whether you are a beginner or an abid writer, there are countless opportunities as long as you exert yourself.
Hiring writers to write content allows website owners to focus on something else. So, part of your job as their writer is to know your client’s brand voice—the company’s personality and how the brand presents itself to their audience.
You don’t have to work for somebody if you want to be a freelance writer because you can make a website to post your work. Although this process can take a long time to get monetized, you may think of this as an investment for yourself for the future.
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Reselling Products
People have an insatiable appetite for shipping. You can meet the demand in your local area by bridging the gap between the supplier with their customers through reselling because it’s convenient for them to purchase products in a particular place.
Reselling allows you to skip the long process of product development, but instead, you find a trustworthy supplier who can sell their products to you for the wholesale price. Then, you can sell them individually at a marked-up cost.Â
Your reselling business can also profit if you have a background in marketing. You can market your products at a physical shop, online, or find an existing store to accommodate them.Â
Etsy is a unique platform to sell collectible and vintage items. If you enjoy going to flea markets, garage sales, and vintage stores, without a doubt, someone out there might be interested in paying you a hefty amount of money for a collectible.
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Web Design
More and more businesses are penetrating the online world to advertise their products and services. Companies are looking for reliable web designers to produce a streamlined online website for their consumers.
 Web designers are responsible for creating a clear visual representation of the company—combining sounds, images, videos, and text—making it enticing for their customer base.
Whether you’re a novice or an expert web designer, you mayÂ
promote your talent by maintaining a website, social networking, and creating a work portfolio.
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English Trainer
English is a global language that many businesses and corporations require their staff members to learn because they need to communicate effectively in English with their business partners abroad.
There’s a growing demand for English tutors. Some nationals want to learn a new language for personal reasons, while others need it for work. But some people need someone to talk to in English, so they don’t lose their existing skills.
China, Japan, and South Korea are the top countries looking for online English teachers. Most students want to learn English business terms, idioms, everyday words, and phrases spoken at the office.
Being an English trainer has its benefits. You can gain a fresh perspective on various cultures and form new connections internationally for future possibilities.
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Steps to starting a business while working full-time
Purpose
Before deciding on what business you want to venture into, ask yourself why you want to start a business when you have a full-time job? What is the purpose of this business? Is it for your creative need? Is it to sustain a lifestyle that you want to have? Is it your desire to help others with your expertise?Â
For whatever reason it may be, finding the purpose is critical. So you don’t lose your way when things get tough because launching a business means that you have to be responsible for challenging outcomes.
It helps if you can jot down your ideas, current work routine, financing capabilities, and sacrifices to see if it’s worth it. Draw a SWOT analysis on your abilities and objectives to know where you have leverage and identify your weakness to develop or outsource them. This process will narrow down your options so you won’t have difficulty figuring out where to begin.
Realistic Goals
It’s easy to start a business if you have realistic and attainable goals. You may write down your short-term and long-term goals. Thinking about it seem overwhelming right now, but it’ll give you a clear vision of how to dive into it. It’ll also foreshadow what it will look like in the future.
If you plan to pursue your business full-time in the future, then draft a feasible outline on how you want to make it happen.
Formulate a Business Plan
Put together a business plan so you can zone in on your goals and objectives because it’ll allow you to grow exponentially faster. This step will make or break your business if you don’t think it through rationally.
Your business plan should have a written description of the milestones you want to achieve, your target market and competitors, and a marketing strategy.
Save Money
Starting a business requires funds. Allocate a percentage of your salary to save up for your business. So when you’re ready to take action, you have enough extra finances to support your plans.
It’s also advisable to keep spare cash from your income to fund your business if you decide to expand.
Assess Your Schedule
Pick out a business that won’t contradict your current schedule. It’s essential to assess your timetable before starting a business so you won’t have conflicting schedules between your job, business, family, and yourself. You might burn yourself out if you categorize your time.
Other useful tips
Patience
Starting a business while working full-time takes a lot of patience. It’s not impossible, but it’s challenging. It takes time to grow and profit from any startup business. Impatient entrepreneurs want instant gratification, and that’s how their businesses fail because they want to be an overnight success.
Time management
If you manage your time right and stick to your schedule, you might have time for everything. Know where you draw the line between work and business. You shouldn’t work on your business while at the office and vice versa.
Stress management
Identifying your triggers helps manage the stress of having a business while working full-time to take preventive measures to reduce stress levels so you won’t react negatively in a situation.
Having a reliable support system can go a long way. It’s difficult to ask for help because you may not want to burden anyone. Don’t be afraid to ask your close friends and family because they’re willing to be there for you.
Take time for self-care. Relaxing and doing nothing may bring you brilliant ideas for your business. It allows you to use your imagination and make space for creative concepts.
Embrace imperfections. Don’t stress so much about trying to build a perfect business. If your business is perfect, there will be no room for improvement.
Commitment
Starting a business is arduous and demanding. It’ll require you to sacrifice your time and relationships. You have to commit yourself fully if you want to thrive.
On a paper, identify things you want to prioritize weekly, then write down your current weekly activities. Cross out the habits that don’t allow you to grow, so you can devote that time to work on your goals.
Outsource
Working full-time and setting up a business will consume your time. Hire somebody to alleviate some pressure if your budget permits.
Being hands-on in all aspects of your business sounds remarkable, but if there are areas that aren’t your forte, employ a person who can give value to your business. You can shift your focus towards learning how to produce quality work to lead you to where you want to be.
When outsourcing, identify what specific tasks you need help with, then weigh out the pros and cons to check if you need it or not.
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