Ready to transition away from your full time job and finally be your own boss? Awesome!

But before you go ahead and quit your job, our advice would be to start something that lets you make money on the side and build that up.

The best way to live your dream of becoming your own boss is to start a side hustle online while still working a full time job. This gives you the time, finances and the confidence to run a successful business while still having the stability and security of your job income.

Building a successful side business while working a 9-5 job is hard and requires commitment – but it’s possible. You have to prioritise your business activities and manage your time properly.

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With the right attitude, you could soon be running your own business and making money online. Here are some tips to help you succeed.

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How to Earn Money on the Side (Without Going Crazy)

Obviously, running a business on the side while working a full-time job is not the easiest thing in the world. We don’t want you going cray-cray so here are a few ways that you can make it work when you have a side hustle and a full-time job:

1. Be committed

Sounds simple enough but it’s harder than you might think.

Truth is, if you really want to succeed in any one of the many ways to make money on the side with a full-time job, you have to commit yourself to your chosen side gig and actually do the work.

To make sure that you don’t get sidetracked, write down all the tasks you need to do to stay committed. Include the day and amount of time each activity requires.

List them in order of priority and then cross them off as you complete each thing. Remember to add on to your list as it becomes necessary.

2. Identify your skills/interests

When exploring second job ideas for full-time workers, we recommend you choose a job that matches your skills and interests. The best business ideas are ones that enhance your strengths outside of the office.

Ask yourself what you are most skilled at or what interests you the most then find a job that matches that. This could be blogging, freelancing or even running an e-commerce shop.

If you feel like you lack some of key skills that relate to your chosen side hustle – don’t give up. You can always learn and no we don’t mean go back to school for it.

There are so many learning opportunities online. You could take an online course for on Skillshare or Udemy for instance.

3. Validate your business idea

When you come up with a business idea – it’s only natural that you will be convinced it is a viable business idea and that it is destined for success.

However, many times our ideas can be a little bit misguided and unrealistic. So do your due diligence first.

Before you go all in take time to validate your business idea. Is it something that people will find necessary? Will you easily find clients or it will take you forever before you can convince one client that they need your services? Will you be able to sell your products easily?

Ask yourself relevant questions about your potential customer and also realistically consider whether or not it’s going to be a money-making venture. You want to be 100% sure you’re not creating a solution to a problem that doesn’t really exist.

4. Launch your business

Once you figure out how to earn money on the side, launch your idea and get started immediately. Don’t waste time thinking about the perfect time. Do it now and learn as you go.

It’s one thing to decide what you need to do to earn extra money on the side and it’s another to actually get down to business.

For any business idea to be viable you must launch and monetise it. Don’t get obsessed with finding the best solution, instead get started and improve as you go. Otherwise, you will waste your time just dreaming of all the possible ways to make money on the side with a full-time job instead of actually doing one of them.

5. Create a realistic schedule and stick to it

Create a schedule else you won’t get things done. It is very critical that you plan ahead and clearly schedule your time if you want your side gig to succeed. Remember, you will have two jobs so every minute counts.

If you don’t plan and schedule your time well and in advance, you may find it quite difficult to balance between your day job and your side business.

Find a schedule that works best for you. Some people would rather work in the evening than the morning, other people prefer to work on their side hustle over the weekends instead of during the week.

Whatever your schedule, make it realistic and sustainable. This will allow you to be more productive.

Something free like Google Sheets is more than enough to create a schedule.

We recommend working on your side gig every day even if it’s just for an hour. This will get you into a routine which is very key to your success.

6. Set goals and achieve things

To stay on track, have goals for your side business. What do you want to achieve in a week, a month, 6 months, a year, 5 years? Having SMART goals will keep you motivated to keep working on your hustle.

Start with small goals and up them as you gain more experience in your side hustle. Aim for one client, then three, then 10 and so on. Start small and work on your growth.

Set realistic deadlines and hold yourself accountable. This way, you will stick with both the short- and long-term objectives.

Use a tool tool like Asana.com to set goals.

7. Don’t get fired

As you work on ways to make money on the side with a full-time job – remember that your day job is what’s keeping you afloat and making you money so don’t sacrifice that just yet and don’t get fired. Remain dedicated.

Never work on your side business during company time or use company resources to advance your business. This is a direct ticket to getting yourself fired as you will be in violation of company policies. And besides, it is unethical.

So separate your side hustle and your day job. You need to stay employed until you are ready to quit and run your business full time.

8. Build a sustainable business before you quit

Whether it’s a blog, a freelance business or an e-commerce shop – no matter what you choose on how to make money while working full time – it has to bring you a sustainable income before you decide to quit your job.

Never leave a job before your side gig is stable enough to provide you with constant cash flow. You will have good months and bad months before you reach a stable income so don’t quit your day job before your business is self-sustaining.

9. Take a break

Don’t burn out or you will start resenting your side hustle and give up on it before you even give it a chance.

This means, give yourself room to take breaks and have fun. Don’t schedule in every free hour to work. While it’s important to be committed, it’s also important to take breaks and look at what you’re achieving.

Breaks actually increase your productivity. You will be doing twice and much work once you launch your side business so you need to rest up as much as possible to avoid getting burn out.

10. Think long-term

When it gets hard, (and trust us it will), think about the long term and what you’re trying to achieve here. If you want to get out of your job, remember that and use it as motivation. This side hustle is your way to get there.

So don’t be shy about cutting back on social plans and saying no to friends and family so you can make more time to work on your side gig. All of this is necessary to help you achieve your long term goals.

So there you have it, our top ten tips to help you succeed while you’re trying to balance full time work with a growing side business.

Still not sure what jobs you can do on the side? Check out these ideas.

7 Second Job Ideas for Full Time Workers

1. Blogging: This is a great side gig for anyone but you have to enjoy writing. Don’t worry if you are a newbie, you can easily learn how to start a blog in just 10 minutes!
2. Freelance writing: There are lots of freelance writing jobs for people who love writing and want to earn a some extra money on the side. You can easily turn this hobby into a side hustle. There’s a huge demand for freelance writers so you could make between $500 – $2000 a month, depending on how much free time you can spend writing.
3. Graphic design: Got a special love for graphics? Try out your hand as a freelance graphic designer. You can find freelance graphic design work by working with small business and individuals interested in marketing materials such as logos and brochures to sell their products/services.
4. Social media management: There is a high demand for social media managers because most businesses don’t have the expertise or the time to run their social media accounts. For someone who breathes everything social media, this is certainly a good side hustle.
5. Virtual assistance: Becoming a virtual assistant is a great start to building a future digital nomad life. Virtual assistants (VAs) work remotely and can, therefore, work and earn from anywhere in the world. VA tasks include administrative tasks such as email management, social media management, bookkeeping, customer service, calendar management etc.
6. Web development: There are many online web developer jobs thanks to the ever-increasing demand for high-quality business websites. If know how to code (or are keen to learn) then this should be your side business of choice.
7. Affiliate marketing: Did you know you can get paid to promote products through affiliate marketing? Yes, you can use your blog (or other websites) to refer your audeince to buy products or services online and earn a small commission on every purchase they make.

For more online side hustle ideas and how to make it work see our extensive blog post on How to Start a Side Hustle Online: 12 Gigs to Try.

Learning how to make extra money with a full-time job and building a successful side hustle is a safe way to start testing the business waters while you still have the security of your full time job.

If you focus on these ten things – especially during your first year in your side hustle – you are more likely to have a successful side gig that will allow you to quit your day job and take your business to the next level.

How to Make Money on the Side with a Full Time Job: 10 Tips

How to start a blog

that makes money