Working on the side: Pt.5

Over the last couple of days, I have written a fair amount about how I overreached with my business, and allowed my emotions to get the better of my business sense.

Today, I'll look at a few general tips that worked well for me, and helped me cope with my business 'underperforming' in my mind.

1)  The big one was taking my business performance too personally, and trying too hard.

I've found that this is a big mistake for a few reasons:

• You can't make people buy things from you. You can only make your 'product' as appealing as possible.
• In 'service' industries, you are called when you are needed, not when you are broke and need work to pay the rent.
• People often wait a very long time before having their belongings serviced - Often because they believe it can be more cost-effective to buy a new one, and throw the old one out.
• People may like you, and give your card out, but that doesn't guarantee any work, ever.

It's part waiting game, and part painful effort, made all the more difficult if you sit around and worry, or sweat every single second that you don't get work/calls/sales.

I realized that I was stressing myself sick, sounding desperate on calls, and advertising door-to-door, which I didn't want to do in the first place. So I made a decision.

2)  Start applying for jobs.

Not just any work though - I only applied for jobs that I could reasonably see myself doing, longer term, and without a ridiculous level of stress. I didn't want to burn out.

Part of the reason I had went to self-employment was a string of jobs at places where employee satisfaction was valued lower then the muck we swept off the floors. Staples was one such place.

So, I finally got my interview for my current position as a key & inventory management support specialist, and for all intensive purposes, it is leagues better then anything I've ever had before. The stress level is also manageable, so I can still take work on the side, and not let it frazzle me too badly

3)  A full-time /side business split means less money stress, more stability, and better earning without the risk.

I can't describe how great it feel to be able to put away that extra money from my side business, and place it in my 'future savings' account.

The strangest thing about the entire arrangement is that I am getting more side business work now, after I started a full-time job then ever before.

It's seems to be very true, at least in my case:

4)  People call more and pay more to busy people.

I have a friend that I will talk about tomorrow that is in the opposite position, through no fault of his own.




Do you have a side business that you enjoy?
Do you trust busy people more?
Let me know! :)