Hi guys,
Have you ever wondered how to run a business while also working full time? If so, this blog is for you! In the current world that we live in, it seems that more people than ever are running their own businesses. But how do you manage it all? I have personal experience with this because I have worked full time while running my photography business! I will say up front that it is not easy but very possible and worth it if you’re passionate about what you do! So today I am going to give you my top tips for running a business while working full time.
1. Manage your time
This may seem obvious but this tip is really to tell you how to manage your time. When you work a full time job, your free time is precious. I suggest utilizing a great planner, the calendar on your phone, and having great organizational skills. You need to look ahead at your week and month to know what deadlines you have for your business and schedule out how you can meet those deadlines. Especially for photographers, write down all of your shoots or weddings for the month, gallery deadlines, and then pencil in when you will take time to edit, respond to emails, and overall run your business. You will be working more than 40 hours a week but again, it’s worth it if you’re passionate about what you’re doing!
2. Learn to outsource
Once you have your time management down, you’ll probably quickly realize that you just can’t do everything by yourself. This is where outsourcing comes in! Look at your business and workflow and find out where having extra help would be most beneficial. For example, you may need to outsource your photo editing. Editing is time consuming and isn’t where you are making the money in your business. So outsource the editing so that you can work in the areas of your business that are generating customers, like marketing and social media! This includes outsourcing daily life tasks as well. If you need to hire a house cleaner or send out your laundry to be done, then do it! As we said above, your time is precious and it’s worth outsourcing items to give you more time. You know yourself and your workload best and will know where outsourcing will help the most.
3. Have a great support system
This is a crucial part of working full time and running a business. You need to have good support from family and friends. If you have a spouse or partner, it’s important that they are on your team and understand your goals and dreams. It’s hard work to be working so much and it’s going to help you so much if you have people in your corner! Ask for help where you need it. Can your partner pick up more of the cooking or household tasks? Can your parents help with daycare pick up occasionally when you have photo shoots? These are things you need to ask the people in your life. On top of that, make sure you surround yourself with friends that support you and build you up! I also understand that not everyone has a partner or family they can ask for help. That’s where outsourcing can help. Hire a babysitter to help with your kids for a few hours after school or subscribe to a meal delivery service to make cooking and groceries easier. Do what you can to get yourself some extra support and love!
4. Know the end game
It may not be sustainable for everyone to work full time and run a business long term. So know what your end game is. Is it to eventually leave your full time job and just run your business? Is it to pay off debt? Figure out your WHY behind what you’re doing and that will help you get through the long hours that you have ahead of you!
Above all, know that you can do it. It’s not always easy but it can be incredibly fulfilling to work full time and run your business! I’ve been in your shoes and would love to answer any questions you may have! Leave them in the comments below.
-Liz
