8 Tips for Being a Successful Part-Time Entrepreneur

If your goal is to earn a living working at home, but you aren’t in a position to stop working your full-time job to do so, why not moonlight as a part-time home business owner instead? It’s the perfect way to test out your business idea’s profit potential and make sure that it’s the right fit for your lifestyle. Best of all it can be a great way to generate extra income.  Here are a few  tips to help you get your new venture started:

Discuss it with the family

Years ago, before I started my own home business, I came across a book while browsing through Borders Bookstore. I don’t remember the title of the book, but do remember the subject matter. The entire book centered around preparing your family for self-employment. After five years of working for myself, I totally get why such a book was necessary.

Back in 2010, INC. Magazine published an article online titled “Why So Many Entrepreneurs Get Divorced – Why the Start of a Company So Often Spells the End of a Marriage.”  It really created a buzz among online business owners. The opening of the article suggests that divorce statistics for entrepreneurs is probably higher than the national average. I couldn’t get my hands on any hard and fast statistics either, but I’d be inclined to see why the author feels that way.

Running a business can become a time consuming obsession if you’re not careful. If you spend every waking moment devoted to making your business venture work, your spouse is more than likely being neglected in some way. This can be an even bigger issue when societal roles are reversed and it’s the women assuming an entrepreneurial role and her husband is the one feeling neglected.

Never take your marriage and family for granted. Don’t ignore your husband’s complaints and requests for more quality time until your problems reach the point of no return. Sit down and openly discuss what running a business from home will entail. Put all your cards on the table and openly discuss and address any potential concerns and how you will handle things BEFORE they become issues. Discuss with your family how chores will be handled. Set aside a day(s) devoted for family time only. Plan ahead with your family as much as possible.  Having your family support when you start a business is invaluable.

Research other businesses like the one you hope to start

That’s right, more planning (get used to it, because as the saying goes, ‘if you fail to plan you plan to fail’)  and research is required to help you figure out how you’ll need to structure and manage your time in order to successfully operate your part-time business. Analyze your competitors. What type of information is available on their websites? Do they provide office hours? Is a phone number available? If you plan to provide a phone number, can you set up a professional voice mail for customers to leave messages? Should you invest in a smart phone so that you can respond to customer emails without using the company computer and putting your day job at risk?

Decide how much time you’re willing to devote to your business

This is important. Be realistic about how much time you can devote to a part-time business. Even if you only start off working on weekends, it’s okay as long as you get started. Don’t try to do too much all at once. As your customer base and profit margin grow, you can increase the number of days you spend working on your side gig until you can eventually quit your day job.

Establish clear boundaries

This is a tough one for many entrepreneurs. You’ll need to set all sorts of boundaries, especially when you’re a part-time entrepreneur. Start by establishing clear starting and ending times for work hours. It’s too easy to work around the clock, but doing so is just not healthy. Establishing boundaries with immediate and extended family and friends is often difficult, especially if you don’t have their support.

You will have to explain to your children why you have to work instead of taking a couple of hours to watch a movie. You may have to explain more than once to family and friends that just because you’re working on your business during the weekends doesn’t mean you’re available to babysit or host unexpected visits.

You may from time to time have to establish boundaries with customers letting them know that you will respond to emails and phone calls within 24 hours, or be very clear if informing them you don’t work on weekends.

Consider hiring a coach

This isn’t a necessity, but it could be a very worthwhile investment. If you need help with time management, goal setting, marketing and establishing a strategy for your business, a professional business coach can provide the guidance and motivation you need to meet your objectives . Sometimes it helps tremendously to have someone that you’re accountable to.

Manage Your Time Wisely

Being a part-time entrepreneur won’t work if you don’t learn time management skills. Set aside time for work and just do it. If the kids are a distraction, wake up an hour or two earlier each morning or go to bed an hour or two later in the evening. If the Internet is a distraction, turn it off while you work.  If you use social media site like Twitter and Facebook for business, try using an egg timer, or set the alarm on your cell phone for 20 minutes. When the alarm goes off, immediately get back to work.

Don’t sacrifice your personal time

Everyone needs down time and alone time. Make sure you set aside time for yourself. Not doing so will lead to frustration, resentment and burnout.  The great thing about running a part-time business is that you don’t depend on it to cover your expenses, so pace yourself.

Make du’a often

Make du’a that Allah will guide you to make the best decisions in your business. Ask Allah to grant you patience with your business, those around you and yourself.

Muslimahs Working at Home was created to provide women with an alternative to earning an income outside of the home. Our objective is to share resources and tools necessary to operate a successful, profitable, home-based business.