How to Start A Side Hustle While Working Full-Time

If you ever see my girl Kayla running out of work, sneakers on, hair in a bun, gym bag in tow, you’d think she’s racing to make it to the gym after-hours. And you’d be right too…Four days a week, Kayla leaves her 9-to-5 to go teach her usual fitness class. Under the gym outfit and the athletic demeanor, very few would guess Kayla’s a practicing attorney hustling on the side as a fitness instructor, and loving every minute of it…

Kayla’s just one example in a million, among millennials and other generations of professionals for whom the side hustle is the new normal. As it turns out, millennials are actually obsessed with side hustles, and not just for monetary reasons.

In the very often conforming and uniform corporate world, side hustles have become more than a way of making some extra bucks on the side. They’ve actually become our way of being who we really are, and for some of us, who we’ve always wanted to be, before the bills, the college loans and the kids’ tuition…

Yet how do you even start a side hustle when working full-time, in addition to caring for yourself, your family and having a semblance of a social life? Given how busy our careers are, how do we even stretch time to include a part-time occupation of any kind? And when you add kids, spouses, drop-offs and pick-ups to the whole mix, where do you even begin?

When I started blogging on the side, while working full-time in Big Accounting, it was to finally do what I’ve always loved doing, writing. As many millennials today, I was looking for a different way of expressing myself through work. Yet, like many, starting out was a struggle. From finding extra time to carving out a schedule for my side hustle, the process was far from easy.

With time and inspiration from other “corporatepreneurs” like myself, here are a few lessons I learnt over time about starting a side hustle when you’re still working full-time:

Start with a Passion

What’s your passion? What would you do if money were not a consideration? What would you love doing for the rest of your short, precious life? These are all questions many side hustlers ask themselves before starting their business. A side hustle is that opportunity many “corporatepreneurs” crave to finally delve into something they love, like food, travel, fitness, or for me, writing.

Identifying your passion is also how you garner the strength and determination to provide that extra effort required to pursue a side business. It’s how you keep yourself motivated and strengthened during the laborious first months when you strive to establish yourself and get a routine going.

What’s your passion?

Define Your “Why”

For me, it was important to understand why I was doing what I was doing when I started blogging on the side. Yes, I knew writing’s my passion. I knew I loved sitting at my laptop in the wee hours of morning and type endless words on the blank screen. Yet, it was also crucial for me to know my why.

In the first few months of my side hustle, my “why” wasn’t exactly clear. I was just enjoying what I was doing. After a while, after spouse and kids came into the equation and time seemed to compress away, I had to find my “why” in order to keep going. For me, it was the desire to live a more fulfilled life, to leave a legacy and show my children you can pursue what you set your heart to.

For you, it may be to change your lifestyle, to spend more time with your kids or elder parents, or to generate more income.

What’s your why?

Plan Your Schedule

I never understood the value of time as acutely as when I started side hustling. It became so important to define my priorities, and start scheduling my time as carefully as I picked my shoes (or my coffee flavor, you know, whatever floats your boat). Early mornings and late evenings, before and after everyone in the house started expressing their various needs (from chocolate to clean diapers), became my go-to hours…

Schedule your “hustle hours” outside of regular work hours, and stick to them. Whether it’s carving out some time on week-ends, or hustling after the kids go to bed, stick to a consistent and realistic schedule. Being all over the place at all times will only get you drained, frustrated, and more prone to giving up sooner than later.

Use Your Network

You do have a network. From your years working in the corporate world, to your circle of friends and family, your network is larger than you think. Unless your side hustle conflicts with your day job (in which case you may want to double check with your manager), it’s ok to inform your contacts of your new ventures.

Countless entrepreneurs were able to use their network to create more business opportunities for themselves. Your contacts may even become your first clients!

Are you capitalizing on your own network?

Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate!

Take every opportunity to collaborate with other side hustlers and entrepreneurs like you. Especially when starting out, collaboration is important and can help you establish yourself. It’s also comforting to know you’re not alone in this, and that others just like you have done this before you.

You can even ask for the guidance and mentorship of fellow “corporatepreneurs“. Send one of the influencers you follow an email or message through social media to pick their brain. If they’re local, invite them for a cup of coffee.

You can also join local associations of entrepreneurs around you, or start organizing meet-ups where you are. Anything that can help you collaborate more and be less isolated as you start your side hustle can go a long way…