What does it take to start a business while working full-time? 

You’re in the right place! Today, you’ll learn how to build a business even if you have a busy 9-5. 

Want to learn more? Read on!

How to start a business while working full time:

• You can start a side business while working full time!
• Choose a business model that’s easy to start 
• Set up a business legally 
• Set aside a 1 hour every day to work on your business 
• Budget to manage your money
• Set goals 
• Build an entrepreneurial mindset
• Overcome your fears
• Don’t quit your full-time job just yet!
• Why a side-business is a good idea
• The best side-business ideas

Can you have a side business while working full-time?

Look:

You might wonder if it’s even possible to build a business while working full-time.

Let me share a quick story to show you how I did it — and you can, too. 

How I started my business on the side 

Before I started my business, I was where I had always wanted to be (or so I thought). 

I was managing a team and millions of dollars in business every year. I had a six-figure salary and proud parents. 

But on the inside, I wasn’t happy. I was sick of the endless meetings, being stuck behind a computer, and not living up to my potential. 

Then, in a year, everyone in my family had suffered life-threatening illnesses. My mom got diagnosed with cancer, my dad was rushed to the ER, and my sister nearly lost her eyesight. 

Not having enough vacation days to be there for them was a big “aha” moment for me. I KNEW I wanted a life where I was in charge of my own time. 

And a business would help me get there. 

But here’s the thing: I didn’t immediately quit.

Instead, I worked on my business on the side.

Over the next four months, I built up an online advertising consulting business and made my first six figures. 

Then I quit my job.

Can YOU start a business while working? 

Building a successful business while working full-time isn’t up to luck or other external factors. It comes down to you. 

Yes, you’re busy.

Yes, it feels scary.

But we’re talking about a business that lets you spend more time with your family, have a greater impact by helping people full-time, and be happier and healthier than you were in your 9-5.

All of this while helping people do something that has a huge impact on their lives. 

That’s way bigger than the impact you can have in most full-time jobs. 

So, yes, you can do it, and it’s well worth the effort. I’ll show you how to do it next, so keep reading!

Note! Starting a business while employed can come with a few obligations on your part. 

For example, you might have a non-compete clause in place. While the FTC has issued a non-compete ban, many countries still allow non-competes. 

Of course, this is not legal advice — I’m not a lawyer and wouldn’t be qualified to make those recommendations.

Find a business idea 

It all starts with finding the right business idea.

People often think they need to find the Next Big Thing – but that usually requires a team, money, and a lot of time. And the business might still fail.

If you’re a risk-averse person like me, you want something that will safely let you quit your job.

So, what will let you build a business fast and profitably? 

Packaging your existing skills as an online coaching, consulting, or freelancing business. 

And it’s something most of us can do! 

You see, you have all kinds of skills that can be monetized. Your job skills, things you’re naturally good at, and things you’ve learned. 

You just have to find a profitable niche – in other words, you have to solve a problem that people are willing to pay for.

My clients have used their skills to start businesses in niches like health, mindset, career, and productivity.

Write down at least 10 skills you have and use this as a starting point to decide on one skill. 

From there, do some research! If there’s an existing service, that’s a good thing – it means there’s a market for your idea.

Having an idea is one thing, but starting your business is another. I’ll tell you how to set it up next, so keep reading!

Set up your business 

There are a few things to do to start your business while working.

Step one: Choose between operating as a sole proprietorship or a limited liability company (LLC). 

A sole proprietorship is easier. There’s very little paperwork involved.

But LLCs come with tax benefits and legal protection.

Step two: Register your business, which can be as easy as giving your business name to local or state government. 

If you use your name for the business, you might not need to register at all! But keep in mind you won’t get certain protections or tax breaks.

Step three: Figure out if you need a license or certification. 

You probably won’t, depending on your niche.

But you might need a permit or home business license, so I recommend double-checking before you start offering services or products. Better safe than sorry!

The key to successfully running a business while still working is knowing how to make time for it, which I’ll discuss next.

Make time for your business 

By now, you know what it takes to build a business while working full-time.

I won’t lie: Starting and scaling a side business while working was tough.

But 34% of Americans have a side hustle and manage to do it – and you can, too.

For me, it all came down to two things.

1) Focus on a few things 

Focus on the things that will get you results right NOW.

In fact, try to do as little as possible.

I focused on a few things I repeated daily to bring in clients, like posting on Facebook or doing livestreams.

Your tasks depend on where your clients are. Maybe you pitch one client a day, do a livestream, or post content in social media groups. 

But you need to be disciplined about your tasks to get fast results.

2) Create a schedule

I spent about 30 minutes to an hour on my daily tasks, plus weekends. 

And I always made sure I could work on them in 15-minute chunks during any “gap” time I had, like lunch breaks or after work.

I was able to be so disciplined about this because I scheduled everything. In fact, I still do it to this day. 

If something’s in your schedule, you’ve already booked out that time. So, you don’t have to use your valuable willpower to decide if you should or shouldn’t get your tasks done. 

Fill your gaps when you’re most productive.

For me, it was 15 minutes right before work, 15 minutes during my lunch break, and 15 minutes after work. 

I’ll tell you about the financial side of things in the next section. Keep reading!

Understand your costs

There are expenses in your business, like taxes, that you need to account for and figure out before you start your business.

But you’ll also need to consider the costs of the business model you choose.

That’s why choosing a low-cost, high-profit business idea is essential when launching a business while working.

That’s what’s so great about coaching, consulting, and freelancing. They require very little investment to set up.

After all, you already have the skills you need to help your clients. 

And you don’t need to worry about the costs that come with other business ideas, like building a product or signing a lease for a physical space.

Typically, you just need a laptop.

That means you won’t need a loan or funding, which significantly lowers your financial risk. 

Next, we’ll talk about the most important parts of starting a business while working full-time: 

Setting goals and developing the right mindset.

Set goals 

Goals are crucial to starting a business while working because they help you gauge your growth and offer clarity on your journey.

The kind of goal you set – short-term or long-term – doesn’t matter. 

What matters is that they’re good goals that guide you to the result you want.

Setting good goals starts with making them achievable.

If your goal is too lofty, you won’t reach it. It becomes a dream instead of a goal.

If you know you’re going to achieve your goal, you’re on the right track.

For example, you wouldn’t set a goal to make $10,000 in your first six months if you’ve never started a business while working.

Instead, focus on setting attainable goals, like finding your business idea, getting a client, and earning a monthly income. 

Once you have your goal, work backward to figure out exactly which steps you’ll need to take.

For instance, let’s say you set a goal to make your first 10 sales.

How many people do you need to reach to do it? How many tasks will you need to do each day to reach them?

I’ll tell you more about setting goals in this guide.

Work on your mindset 

You can have all the right strategies and tactics, but if you don’t change your thoughts, you likely won’t succeed.

Shift #1: Embracing a beginners mindset

Right now, you’re starting from scratch. 

And you need to learn a bunch of new skills, like selling, content creation, and more.

So it’s essential to shift your thinking from “Why aren’t people buying from me?” to “I get it. I’m earning my stripes.”

When I started my digital advertising consulting business, I knew I had a lot to learn about copywriting, marketing, and creating videos. 

I focused on learning from many people who are great at what they do in different industries. At all times, I asked myself, “How did I do this time? What else can I do?”

Shift #2: Embracing failure

Yes, failure sucks. But you need to get good at embracing it to succeed.

A few failures shouldn’t get you thinking, “Maybe I’m not cut out to be an entrepreneur.”

There are SO many things you do in your business that will fail. It’s just part of the process. 

Ask yourself what you can learn from those failures instead of wallowing or giving up. 

Shift #3: Getting comfortable with selling

There’s nothing scammy about selling.

It’s about exchanging value. You offer something in exchange for money. 

And trust me – if your clients want it, they’ll buy it! 

If not, it wasn’t for them. They can make their own decisions.

Overcome your fear of starting a business 

You might feel you have nothing to offer or are afraid of what people will say if you put yourself out there. 

Look:

It’s scary to start a business. In fact, it’s probably one of the most challenging things you’ll ever do in your life. 

You can go on to read hundreds of blog posts on this topic, but I guarantee that it won’t cure your fear. 

What will help you get over it is to get started. 

The sooner you start, the sooner you get to a point where you can finally quit your job. 

Here’s the thing:

You will “fail” in one way or another.

You might “fail” at finding the right business idea the first time.

Or you might get rejected. 

Or you could be so afraid of putting yourself out there that it takes months to get started.

Trust me, putting yourself out there for the first time will feel like the scariest thing you’ve ever done.

But you’ll never succeed if you don’t overcome those first failures.

So, address your fear by expecting to fail.

If you want more, I show you how to overcome your fear in this video:

When to quit your full-time job 

Look.

I know you’re itching to quit your job. I remember telling myself every week, “Next week, I’ll turn in my notice.” 

But whatever you do, don’t quit your job right away.

You shouldn’t quit your job before you know for sure that your business will continue paying your bills once you don’t have a steady salary coming in. 

In fact, I recommend not quitting until you’ve doubled your take-home salary.

Why double?

Because you have other expenses in your business, like taxes, that you need to account for. 

If you focus on a few tasks every day, this isn’t a process that will take years. That’s the beauty of a coaching and consulting business — you only need a handful of clients. 

Here’s the key to scaling a business while working: Be good at your job and business.

Remember when I mentioned splitting your business tasks into 15-minute chunks?

Instead of multitasking, it allows you to compartmentalize your life: 

You have your business time and your work time. They don’t overlap. 

This also means you need to spend your free time more wisely. You can’t spend weekends watching TV or hanging out with friends — you have to focus on learning and working with clients. 

Trust me, it was worth it to not have to worry about my bills once I did quit my job. 

I recommend not quitting your job until you have at least one of the “321 rules” under your belt:

3: You have at least three months’ worth of consistent business sales

2: You’ve saved at least double your current salary to cover the benefits you’ll lose and any unexpected expenses

1: Have a safety net of at least one year’s living expenses

Following the 321 rule will better prepare you for the ups and downs of entrepreneurship. 

And yes, there are ups and downs – but there are tons of benefits to starting a business while working. I’ll tell you about them next, so keep reading!

Benefits of starting a business while working

There are plenty of perks to starting a business while working: 

• A guaranteed income: You’ll still have a steady income from your full-time job, so there’s not much financial risk involved. Any extra cash can be used to invest in your business!
• You still have benefits: A full-time job offers valuable perks like paid time off, healthcare, and retirement planning. You’ll have to pay for those out of pocket when you quit your job.
• You can test your idea and adjust it when necessary: Starting a business while working offers the flexibility to test and refine your business idea without the pressure to succeed instantly. On that note…
• You can take more risks: You can take more risks to figure out what works for your business while working because you still have a steady income.
• You have less time: When you start a business while working, you learn to prioritize tasks and maximize efficiency. 
• Networking opportunities: Your colleagues could offer valuable insights and potentially become future customers! 

So, what are the best business ideas if you want to start your own business while working?

You’ll find out in the next section!

The best business ideas 

The best part about all of this?

People in all types of industries can start a business while working in dozens of different niches!

Just ask my clients, many of whom have started a business while working.

Let’s take a look at a few.

Health coach

Health coaches use their own experience to help others reach their health and wellness goals.

And it’s not just about weight loss. 

There are dozens of health coaching niches, including nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep.

For example, my client David helps people lose weight using herbs.

You can learn more about health coaching in this guide.

Relationship coach

Yes, relationship coaches help their clients with relationship issues.

But it’s not all about romantic love. For example, they also help improve existing relationships among family members or even co-parents.

My student Ruby worked for companies like eHarmony for years. Today, she’s a relationship coach who helps ambitious men find love.

Freelance writer

A freelance writer creates content for clients on a project-by-project or contract basis for businesses, publications, and websites – like mine!

They specialize in all kinds of writing, including content marketing, copywriting, journalism, SEO writing, technical writing, and more.

Career coach

As a career coach, you help clients reach their career goals.

Those goals can be anything, including getting a new job, earning a promotion, or seeing better results in their current job.

The best part? You can work with people in any career stage. 

For instance, my student Anna is a career and leadership coach who works exclusively with women who want to further their careers.

Social media manager 

Social media managers oversee a company’s presence on social platforms. 

They create content, develop strategies, and engage with followers.

Some niches a social media manager might work in include e-commerce, influencer management, community management, and content creation.

Consultant 

Consultants do more than offer guidance to big companies.

You can help people reach all sorts of goals. Consultant niches include healthcare, legal, education, and financial.

For example, my student Anna helps students get into the college of their dreams.

For more ideas, I share the best “after-work” ideas here: 

YOU can start a 6-figure business and quit your job 

As you’ve seen, it IS possible to start a business while working a full-time job. 

What you need to do is stay focused and follow a few simple strategies. 

The payoff is worth it:

A business that lets you have the freedom and flexibility you want and that has a real impact.

I get to work less than I would have in a 9-5, earn multiple 7-figures (note: this is after 5 years in my business), and spend so much more time with my family.

I’ll show you how to build a 6-figure business from the ground using my tried and true blueprint for FREE:

Read more:

Best Side Hustle Ideas That Earn $1,000+ or More

How to Start a Side Business from Home

How to Start a True Freedom Business (Full Guide)