When I was establishing my solo business, I thought on how I could apply an agile approach to its founding. I looked for not only to launch my venture but to do so without adding undue stress, to allow room for experimentation and learning.
The dual career strategy emerged as the ideal path, aligning perfectly with my need for stability and enabling steady growth—a method I implemented myself.
Embarking on the dual career journey wasn’t straightforward. There was a pressing need to learn how to manage my well-being and energy levels carefully.
Yet, despite the hurdles, this dual career strategy proved to be an effective bridge during my transition into solopreneurship, assuring me professional integrity while I nurtured my entrepreneurial aspirations.
One of the most obvious and compelling reasons for not leaving your job immediately is the stability it provides. Not only does dual career offer regular paychecks and benefits, but it also acts as a safety net, providing a sense of financial security while you pursue your entrepreneurial aspirations.
This stability becomes an invaluable resource, particularly when venturing into a business endeavor that may take several months or even years to start turning a profit. By maintaining your job, you can ensure a steady income stream during the early stages of your venture, ultimately increasing your chances of long-term success.
Developing a sustainable business and acquiring the necessary skills to execute it is a gradual process that requires a significant investment of time and effort. During this learning period, your 9-5 job serves as a valuable cover, providing you with stability and financial support.
It allows you to meticulously refine your approach and strategy, ensuring that you are well-prepared before transitioning your complete focus towards your business venture. This gradual transition helps mitigate risks and increases the likelihood of long-term success.
A business that can maintain its operations and thrive while you are still employed has a significantly higher probability of achieving long-term success once you are able to fully dedicate yourself to its growth.
The strategic actions you take from the security of your day job can effectively showcase the viability and potential of your venture, providing a solid foundation for future development and expansion.
You need to be acutely aware of any non-compete or intellectual property clauses within your current employment contracts. Violating these can have serious repercussions, so it’s paramount to understand your legal standing before you begin.
Where possible, open dialogue with your employer can set the stage for a smoother transition. Discussing that you’re working on a side business can mitigate any concerns about conflicts of interest and underline your professionalism.
It’s crucial to undertake any solo work on your own time and with your resources, rather than utilizing your employer’s. This avoids any grey areas with the ownership of your business’s intellectual property and maintains a clear professional boundary.
A crucial advantage of the dual-career approach is the ability to experiment extensively. You can embrace a design thinking approach, where you gather a broad range of ideas, test them systematically, and then refine based on your results. This approach allows you quickly adapt to market changes or customer feedback.
– Tom Kelley & David Kelley, Creative Confidence.
Similarly, it encourages you to remain flexible and curious, embracing the non-obvious paths that often lead to unique value propositions and differentiating your venture in a competitive landscape.
Achieving business success may seem unclear at first, but taking proactive steps to clarify your vision is crucial.
Instead of strictly following a conventional business plan, which might feel overwhelming or premature, focus on personal metrics that indicate success.
Consider what fulfilment and accomplishment would mean to you, not just financially, but also in terms of satisfaction, impact, and work-life balance.
– Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are
Engaging in discussions with mentors, industry peers, or potential customers can also help paint a clearer picture of where you want your venture to go.
Embracing this flexible mindset allows for a more natural development process, where your business evolves based on a deep understanding of your own goals and values.
Don’t tie yourself to your first business concept. The process of exploring and testing can often lead to the development of a different — and perhaps more promising — line of business.
At Mofit by Anna, I believe that the best step at this stage is to become a designer of your solo business.
From understanding deeply who your customers are and their needs, you can move to generating a variety of ideas, until narrowing them down to shape your unique business model.
And no, it is not a linear process. You can always go back and forth based on the outcomes you receive. Is this approach for everyone? No, and this is precisely where individual preferences come into play when it comes to problem-solving.
Remember, just as your business journey is a process of evolution and refinement, so too is the crafting of your visual identity. Dive into the world of font pairings to add a touch of sophistication and coherence to your brand’s image.
I understand the importance of visual storytelling through fonts. My blog posts on free font pairings offer inspiration and guidance to help you curate a visual identity that resonates with your audience.
Take a thorough and introspective examination of your current career demands, carefully considering the time and energy you have available.
It is crucial to ensure that your side business does not impede your performance or compromise your well-being in your primary job.
Evaluate and prioritise your commitments, making necessary reductions to strike a harmonious balance between your professional endeavours. Remember, maintaining a healthy work-life equilibrium is key to long-term success and personal fulfilment.
Allocating dedicated time slots for your solo business ventures is essential, and it need not be overwhelming.
Instead of getting caught up in the time management buzzwords, create a straightforward yet efficient schedule for yourself. Whether it’s setting aside a specific hour each day or a few days a week for business development, these increments allow you to witness tangible progress.
More importantly, this systematic approach plays a vital role in safeguarding both your physical and mental health, keeping burnout at bay and ensuring you remain energised for both of your career paths.
Setting firm boundaries becomes significantly less complex when you have a clear understanding of your commitments and the time you can allocate to your solo business endeavours.
Establishing boundaries isn’t about pushing others away, but rather about crafting a sustainable environment that supports your interim dual career path.
By clearly communicating your boundaries to colleagues, clients, and even family, you can better manage expectations and prevent the risk of overcommitment.
Remember, these boundaries are not only beneficial for maintaining focus, but they are also crucial for ensuring that you can recharge and maintain personal relationships, which are just as vital for your overall success and satisfaction.
It is becoming increasingly clear that physical health and mental health are intricately linked, mirroring each other in our well-being. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee highlights this in his statement:
Understanding this interdependency is crucial for anyone juggling multiple career aspects. Implementing a holistic approach to well-being can help mitigate the stresses associated with such a lifestyle.
This knowledge compels us to consider both physical and mental health in our time segmentation & boundaries strategies, ensuring that our professional endeavours do not compromise overall health.
Opting for a dual career can be an effective way to slowly nurture your own business without impacting your professional integrity.
It provides a rare chance to build a solid foundation for your business, one that could not only support itself but you as well.
It’s a path that requires diligence, transparency, and clear boundaries, but the end result—an independent business developed with care and patience—may just outweigh the risks and sacrifices along the way.
A dual career is not a compromise; it’s a well-informed strategy that allows you to reap the benefits of working for yourself without necessarily leaving the security of a full-time job.
It’s possible to honor your professional commitments while diligently laying the groundwork for a successful solo venture.
This slow and steady approach can ensure that when the time comes to leap into full-time entrepreneurship, you’re well-prepared for the journey ahead. Remember, the goal isn’t just to start a business; it’s to start one that thrives.
“Creative Confidence” unmasks the creative potential within us all. It’s a guide crafted by IDEO’s Tom and David Kelley. The book illustrates demystifying creativity as a skill, not a talent. Essential reading for solo entrepreneurs seeking their path and inspiration.
In this work, Brown delves into the value of wholehearted living. She argues that imperfection is a strength, not a weakness. Solo entrepreneurs will find solace and inspiration in her words. It’s a manual for those building a business grounded in authenticity.