How to Start a Side Hustle While Working Full Time
It’s not easy to start a side hustle while working full time. I encounter women all the time who want to jump off of the cliche rat race into full-time entrepreneurship but for whatever reason, they just can’t. So if you can’t leave the 9 to 5 now, how will you ever be able to start your own business? How will you finally be able to do what you love if you have no time? Start a side hustle. A side hustle may be the way to dip your toe into the solopreneur pool. Let’s tackle this and see what options there are for women who are ready to dive in.
What is a Side Hustle?
A side hustle is a part-time or full-time job that you work either in addition to or in lieu of a full-time job. The term side hustle is usually referring to work that you do on your own, working for yourself, to make extra money.
Side hustles have changed with the rise of electronic devices, so where a side hustle may have required some type of manual labor or time spent working for hours at a time, now a side hustle can involve you making money online from home.
So if you are asking yourself whether you can make money on the side with a full-time job, it may be easier than you think to start a side hustle.
How Do You Start a Side Hustle?
A successful side hustle takes the same thing that any successful business takes:
1. A willingness to learn how to start the side hustle and grow it
Whether you’re going to be doing something you’ve done before as a hobby or if you’ll be starting a new venture, you will have to learn the business side of things. You will want to be organized and set up as a business so you can keep track of supplies, inventory, sales, revenue, etc.
Your business may need to be set up legally as a business with a tradename, license, or permit. You can do a Google search to find out what is required in your jurisdiction. This new business checklist may help.
If you would like to grow this into a business that you will eventually work on a full-time basis, that’s even more of a reason to get organized from the beginning. Keeping track of how much you are spending and what worked and didn’t work will be valuable information down the road so treat it as a real business from the start.
2. Patience in the beginning because it may take a little while to become profitable
If you need money right away I understand how much you don’t want to hear this, but depending on the side hustle, it may take a little time. I don’t mean years, but maybe weeks or months.
While businesses like print on demand, dropshipping, and other e-commerce businesses can definitely pay off, just be prepared to start out with slow sales. You could always blow up right out of the gate but that’s not always the case.
When I started my dropshipping business I expected that because of the Youtubers I saw talking about how they made $50,000 their first month. I wanted that too! I quickly found out that one, that is highly unlikely, and two, the $50,000 was revenue but they spent $10,000 on ads. Who has that type of money? So just temper your expectations a bit and give yourself a month or so to get yourself acclimated to the business.
3. The understanding that trial and error is needed to figure out what works and what doesn’t
Boy, when they say patience is a virtue they are not lying. Everybody wants their business to skyrocket right away. We want everyone to love our product or service and we want to be able to see that money rolling in right away. After all, we’re starting the side hustle because we need extra money now. Well, if your business involves sales trial and error will become the norm after a short while.
It’s not uncommon for a new business owner to launch a business to well, the sound of crickets. This is not to encourage you, quite the contrary. I know you can do this, I just don’t want you to quit if things don’t take off as quickly as you expect. Hang in there!
Tweak what’s not working and repeat the things that are. Believe me, every business does this and now that you’re becoming an entrepreneur, you’ll have to play the game too. Just do not quit too soon.
How to Start a Side Hustle With No Money
My advice to you on this may vary depending on the side hustle, but at a minimum, I would suggest you take these steps.
Four Ways to Start a Side Hustle While Working Full Time
1. Decide on a Business, Preferably Something You’ll Love
Find something you feel passionate about and figure out a way to turn it into a business. This is your business so start with something you’ll love. Chances are you’ll be spending lots of time thinking about it, planning for it, and working at it. Don’t get burned out too quickly because you hate your side hustle.
If you are working full time I would suggest finding something you love to do and then thinking of a way to make it run on autopilot. For example, if you love gardening you may want to create a Youtube channel talking about it.
If YouTube isn’t your thing you could create gardening printables to sell on Etsy, helping other gardeners with plant tracking sheets, gardening schedules, or seed inventory sheets. Just think of something you like doing yourself and think of a way to do that for money!
Don’t overthink it. I think some people think they have to go all out in the beginning and that’s not the case.
2. Start Planning for Your Side Hustle During Your Free Time
If you’re working full time, chances are you don’t have a lot of time to spend on your side hustle. Try to use your time while commuting if you can.
Whether you take public transportation or you drive, you can listen to relevant podcasts and helpful YouTube channels that can help you find the information you may need. You can often get good tips from others in your field and commuting is a good time to soak up some helpful information, especially if you’re new to the field.
If you get a lunch break, use this time to work on your side hustle. Buy a notebook just for planning, and start by choosing a business name, decide whether you need a website, do you have a business email address? Do a little every day. Of course, if you have time to work on it at home use that time wisely.
Use this new business checklist to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases.
3. Save What You Can
If you are able to save money, do it. This can be used for expenses that may arise for your business and can also be used as a cushion for you should you ever decide to leave your full-time job. Savings are good for a lot of reasons, but I would suggest setting up an account that is solely for your business. It will make it easier to separate and track your business expenses as well.
4. Be Flexible
Starting a side hustle while working full-time may be a bit of a balancing act. If you have a family at home, your time may be very limited. Don’t let this prevent you from starting your business.
Can you wake up an hour earlier to work on your business? Can you work at home while your children are sleeping? Do you have someone to babysit on your day off so you have an entire block of time to work on your business?
Try to create more time for yourself during the week wherever you can. Is there any aspect of your business that can be automated or done in batches?
If you decide to sell items on Ebay, for example, instead of taking pictures of your items, listing them, and shipping them, think in terms of batches. Take pictures of all of the items, then list them all, then ship them all. Batching your work can save a lot of time.
If your business requires you to send emails, maybe you could use a service like Convertkit to create automated emails. This will allow you to send out one email to everyone, instead of emails to one person at a time. There’s a lot of technology out there designed to help you save time.
How Do I Make an Extra $1000 a Month With My Side Hustle?
There are side hustles that pay a little and there side gigs that can pay as much or more than a full-time job. These have the potential to pay $1,000 a month if you have the skill and/or interest.
This list of gigs can also be the perfect side hustle for students, retirees, anyone. Maybe the best part is that any of them can be turned into a lucrative business for you when you’re ready to leave your 9 to 5.
Start One of These 10 Side Hustles That Pay $1,000 a Month
1. Freelance Writing
If you are someone who loves to write, this could be the perfect side hustle for you. Places like fiverr and Upwork hire people to write articles, blog posts, and more.
2. Graphic Design
If you are creative and love to design this gig could get you paid. You can use programs like Photoshop, Affinity Designer, or free tools like Inkscape, Gimp, or Paint to create anything from T-shirt designs to marketing materials for other businesses. There are people on fiverr charging $20 to edit five images on Photoshop, for example. If you can secure customers and edit images quickly this could be a lucrative side hustle.
3. Web Development
What business nowadays doesn’t need a website? If you’re good with coding and web design this is a great side hustle that can definitely bring in a full-time income. People who can build or customize websites are in demand and you can create a profile on websites like Upwork and fiverr to find customers.
4. Audio Transcription
Believe it or not, audio transcription can pay you quite well if you have enough time to transcribe long-form content. There are people on fiverr charging $15 for 20 minutes of transcription, that’s $45 an hour. You could work for 10 hours a week and earn $450 per week.
5. Retail Arbitrage
If you’ve never heard the term, I’m sure you’ve heard of the concept. It’s buying items for a low price and then selling them for a profit on sites like eBay, Wish, and Facebook Marketplace. You can buy items from estate sales, garage sales, and thrift stores, mark them up for a profit, and ship them to your customers. Find the right items and this is an easy way to make extra money.
6. Consulting
We all know a little something about something. If you know how to do anything that requires skill, consider offering your knowledge by getting them from step A to B. You don’t have to be an expert, just someone who knows more than someone else. Put yourself out there are someone knowledgeable on a subject and get paid.
7. Babysitting
If you are good with children, considering offering babysitting or nanny services to someone in need. If you’re working full time this one may be more difficult, but if you have time on your hands this is an option.
Parents pay a lot for daycare, so if you are able to watch children during the day, this could pay you a full-time salary. I checked the pay rate for the babysitting service Care.com and saw an ad offering $25 per hour for a babysitter. Ten hours a week will bring in $1,000 each month.
8. Cleaning Houses
Cleaning companies make lots of money helping people keep their homes neat and tidy. Look online at other cleaning services to see how they’ve set up their business. Is this something you can model for yourself?
9. Working as a Virtual Assistant
With so many people owning online businesses these days you can offer your services and help them as a virtual assistant. You would help with things like drafting emails to customers or clients, creating marketing materials, making phone calls, transcribing audio, whatever they need for their business.
The good thing is you can work from home. The skills you learn as a virtual assistant can be used in your own business so it’s a good way to learn new skills and sharpen existing ones. According to Zip Recruiter, nationwide the average virtual assistant earns $19.
10. Selling on Etsy
Selling from your own Etsy shop can certainly be a profitable side hustle but this one requires you to offer the right product to the right people for the right price. If you’re not familiar with Etsy take a look at the site. Is there anything that you could offer on this type of platform? If so, consider setting up your own shop.
What Side Hustle Should I Start?
The type of side hustle you start depends a lot on the amount of time you have and what you’re interested in doing. Since this is your business you ideally want to do something you love, right?
So what is that thing? Are you a creative person who would love to create clothing and products with your own designs? Do you have the gift of gab and an idea for a podcast?
If you know you want to start a business but have no idea which one, check out the Pinpoint Your Passion workshop. It’s a 3-day workshop that will help you decide on a business that is right for you. Register for FREE and see what you come up with!
How Much Time Can You Dedicate to a Business?
The side hustle you start will in some respect, depend on the amount of time you have while working full time. If you are only able to carve out a small amount of time you should still start your business. Just create as much spare time you can, and start on a small scale.
Even if you only have three hours a week to dedicate to your business, you can do it. Get yourself a planner and a calendar. Map out the time you will use towards your business and stick with it.
As you become more familiar with your business you’ll see that you’ll become more efficient and as the learning curve flattens, you’ll be able to get more done faster. Just stick with it.
What Resources Do You Have to Start a Business?
Hopefully, the business you’re creating is one that won’t require you to purchase a lot of materials and equipment. If it does and you have the money to purchase it, great. If you don’t have the money right now, can you borrow the equipment? Can you purchase it used? Try not to spend money on things you don’t really need starting out. Give yourself the wiggle room to pivot.
Let’s say you decided to start a podcast. You spend money on an expensive mic, recording equipment, sound, and editing software, only to realize you’d rather start a YouTube channel. Had you waited a little while and used free software and recorded on an inexpensive mic, you could’ve saved money.
Research cheaper or free options in the beginning. I know the excitement of wanting to be set up with the most professional everything early on, but trust me, you want to get started on the cheap until you’re sure you want to do what you’re doing and you’re sure you actually need those things.
With whatever side hustle you start, continue to learn about the business and promote it any way you can.
Use your social media if you are on any platforms, add your business info to your email signature, tell your friends and family, try to become a guest on a related podcast, and draft and send out a free press release announcing your business.
If you will have your own website plan a digital marketing campaign as soon as your site is up and running.
It may seem daunting but you can start a side hustle while working full time. Stay consistent and join forums and groups on Facebook to connect with people in the same business for support and assistance. Also, join Passive Income Group 360 for tools and resources designed to help you succeed.
So. Ready to start a side hustle? Which one will you start? Let us know in the comment section below.