I did everything right growing up. I studied hard, got good grades, went to an Ivy League university, received my bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering, and later got my MBA from NYU.
I landed a job on Wall Street and was making six figures a year analyzing data for traders and management. Although the work-life balance was okay, I always felt as though something was missing. I never felt like I had full control of my life. I always felt as though I had so much more potential and I was not meant to sit in an office all day.
While I was in business school, I had worked at a nightclub on the weekends to help pay for school. I enjoyed it so much that while still working full time, I decided to start my own entertainment company.
How I Started My Side Business While Working Full Time
I started out by just having the idea, a manifestation if you will. I didn’t think it was even possible at first. Then I started maximizing my downtime to take small steps towards reaching my goal. The goal was to create a website and book dancers for private parties and events and eventually get to a point where I could quit my full-time job and live off of the profits from my entertainment business.
In the beginning, I had no idea where to start. I had a vague notion of how to achieve what I wanted to achieve but I didn’t have a clear path in front of me. I think that’s when a lot of people begin to give up on their dreams; if something isn't readily easy for them, they just avoid it. In college and in graduate school, things were easy in the sense that they were structured, meaning that at the beginning of every semester I received a syllabus from the course professor on what we would learn. However, in business, there is no syllabus and I had to create the syllabus myself. That is where the trial and error part begins—the failure.
During my one-hour commute to work I watched YouTube videos on how to build websites. Then at nights and on the weekends, I rewatched those videos and worked on my own website. It was important for me to take small steps and to make sure I built upon those small steps every week. It would have been way too difficult for me to try to take on everything at once.
Once I built my website, I then went out and got a Google Voice number so that I could screen calls while I was at work. I posted my website on social media to help gain traction and eventually more and more visitors started coming to the site looking to book dancers for parties and events. I did all of this while still working full time.
Tips on How to Start a Side Hustle
For anyone who is stuck in a nine-to-five and wants to pursue their passion outside of sitting in an office, here's some advice for starting your own side business while working a full-time job.
Treat Your Life Like a Business
The second you decide to start a side hustle with the hopes of replacing your current full-time job, you need to start treating your life like a business. This means that time becomes your most valuable resource and every waking minute becomes valuable.
Delegate Your Time Wisely
It is also important that you spend your time wisely. You need to be able to separate tasks that are passive from those that are active. For example, learning how to build a website is a passive task, but actually sitting down at a computer and building a website is an active task. It is important to use your passive downtime to complete passive tasks.
When I had downtime at my day job, I watched YouTube videos on how to build a website, and when I got home I actively worked on my website for about 30 minutes to an hour a day after work.
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Consistency Is Key—Not Home Runs
It was more beneficial for me to work 30 minutes or an hour after I got home from my day job consistently throughout the week than it was for me to sit down and do three to four hours' worth of work at one time. I was still busy working full time, so completing smaller tasks in a smaller time frame allowed me to wire my brain for success; I was able to build upon my small wins and feel accomplished after completing those small tasks.
If I had put off doing work until the weekend and had to do three to four hours' worth of work in one sitting, then my brain would have mentally fought back and I would have ended up procrastinating and not getting anything done.
Starting a Side Business: There Is No Road Map to Success
Getting a high-paying job in the corporate world is easy—all I had to do was follow the proven steps of studying hard, getting into a good school, getting high grades, studying for the job interview, and then passing the job interview. Every step along the way had mentors, professors, alumni, and many other people to help guide me along the way. However, once I started my side hustle there was no guidance. It just involved me testing and trying and failing along the way, and I’m still testing and failing as I go.
Although my company is not yet at the point where I can quit my full-time job, I believe that there is a good chance I will be able to achieve my goals within the next year. I am slowly building my business and believe that anyone else with a dream can do the same.
FAQs on Starting a Side Business While Working
Can I start a business and work full time?
This depends, because some jobs require you to sign paperwork stating whether or not you will be taking on outside business activities; you need to review any legal documents that you've signed. But assuming there is no conflict of interest, you can certainly start a business and work full time. In fact, I would recommend it as it removes the stress of having to use your business to pay the bills while the business is still in the growing stages.
Can an employer fire you for having a side business?
This depends on the employer and the employee and the agreements they have in place. It varies from employer to employer so I would advise anyone to seek legal advice first for their situation.
What are some good side businesses to start?
A good side business is any business that you are passionate about and are willing to stay consistent with for long periods of time. I recommend online businesses because they have low overhead. I would also recommend finding a niche in an industry you enjoy and figuring out how to make money from it and how to scale up from there.
About the Author
Post by: Andrew Chan
Andrew Chan works full time on Wall Street while building his entertainment company, Exotique Men, during his downtime.
Company: Exotique Men
Website: www.exotiquemen.com
