How to Build a Side Business Without Quitting Your Job (Yet)

You’ve decided you want to ditch the office job and start working for yourself. The only problem is, you have no idea how to make it happen. You rely on the paycheck from your job, but working leaves little time to pursue a new career. How can you make it work?

Building a side business or launching a freelance career while working full-time is a smart way to minimize risk when striking out on your own. However, it’s not for the faint of heart. If you’re thinking of pivoting to entrepreneurship, use these resources to devise your plan of attack.

The best self-directed learning opportunities for entrepreneurs

Before you can start building your business, you need to educate yourself on everything it takes to run a successful operation. Even freelancing requires business skills like accounting and marketing. The more you can learn using resources like these, the more likely your business is to succeed.

• Video learning channels are a fast way to start filling gaps in your knowledge. With options ranging from short video lessons to field-specific series, you can often find what you’re looking for by streaming it.
• You can also earn a traditional degree online — and do it faster than you think. With learn-at-your-own-pace programs that let motivated students save money and time, online universities are the ideal solution for busy adult learners.
• In addition to local workshops, sites like ALISON and FutureLearn offer webinars and free on-demand courses.

How to squeeze a side hustle into your schedule

There are only 24 hours in a day. So when your full-time job takes up eight of them and your other responsibilities aren’t going anywhere, how can you find time to build a side business?

• The best way to make time for a side hustle is to schedule it. Instead of cramming in work wherever you can, commit to set working hours and stick to them. That’s easier to do when you eliminate time sinks like TV.
• Time management tools maximize productivity so you make the most of limited time. There are tons of tools that promise to help you stay focused at work, but these 16 apps are the cream of the crop.
• If you still need more hours in the day, try outsourcing work. You can’t hire a stand-in for your day job, but you can hire a virtual assistant or pay a cleaning service to do your chores.

How to find your very first customers

You can build a business, but will anyone come? Finding and keeping customers is the hardest part of building any business, especially when you’re brand new and relatively unknown.

• Freelance platforms are a great way to find your first clients and start building a portfolio. Since freelance platforms let you apply for jobs, you don’t have to wait for work to come to you.
• Don’t underestimate the impact of local marketing. In addition to optimizing your business for local search, get active on local social media pages, team up with other local businesses, and get involved in community events to build name recognition.
• Be careful when tapping into your existing network, however. Poaching your employer’s clients or employees could land you in hot water, especially if you’ve signed a non-compete clause.

How to use veteran status to your advantage

If you’re a veteran, you’re in a unique position when starting your side hustle. Here’s how veterans can use their military service to their advantage when starting a business.

• Getting certified as a veteran-owned small business not only attracts customers who want to support veterans. It also gives businesses a leg up when competing for government and corporate contracts.
• Veterans can also use social media to advertise their veteran-owned business status and build relationships with customers and fellow veteran entrepreneurs. It’s not enough to make social media profiles, however. Regular contributions are the key to engaging your social media audience.
• Don’t forget to take advantage of resources for veteran entrepreneurs. From entrepreneur training to grants and loans for veteran business owners, there are a lot of great programs to help veterans achieve their entrepreneurial goals.

Building a side business isn’t easy. It takes hard work, long hours, and dedication to turn your limited free time into a thriving business. But when you put in the time and tap resources like these, you can do more than succeed at your side gig — you can create a new career opportunity for yourself.