Tips For The Starting Entrepreneur: Don’t Quit Your 9 to 5

Starting a hobby business or a sideline has become popular in the recent years with the rise of social media. A number of resellers set shop on Instagram, people making their own accessories and baked goods market their products on Facebook, and artistic people accept many commissions via Etsy or Deviantart.

While starting your own business is a great step into becoming self-employed, there’s one huge tip that this successful entrepreneur and author wants you to keep in mind: don’t quit your day job.

Emma Jones, founder of the home business website Enterprise Nation and author of entrepreneurial books such as Spare Room Start Up and Working 5 to 9 emphasizes that there are tons of good reason to get into both working a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job and creating a side hustle. In fact, according to data from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, 45 percent of early-stage entrepreneurs are also employed.

According to Jones, there are two key perks to maintaining both an employed and self-employed work. One, even though the thought of opening your laptop after an 8-hour shift for more work could get a little daunting, in hindsight, it’s actually a great opportunity to escape from the monotonous grind at the office. Striking a contrast between your day job and your side business makes you appreciate each opportunity more. If you’re just working your job all the time, that gets dull. If you’re just managing your business all the time, that will get pretty monotonous, too, in the long run. But juggling both gives you a perfect balance of a welcomed structure and creative freedom. 

Two, holding down your day job means you don’t need to worry that the bills won’t be paid at the end of the month. Handling a business is quite tricky and revenue can be very fluctuating, especially at the start. If you’re just testing the waters, it’s better to hold on to a regular income so your energy flow doesn’t get diverted from your creative pursuits. It’s better to hone and better your craft first as you go along, before pushing yourself too hard that whatever you do must be successful and profitable.

Pursuing a small home business doesn’t need to be as daunting and as pressuring as you think. Why don’t you give it a try today?