Posted by Melissa Williams Netherton
Like many online-based business owners, you may be working on your dream business while still working a day job to pay the bills. This can actually be a great way to break into being your own boss, since you don’t have to rely on your business income right off the bat. Of course, finding enough time to work on your business and making sure it gets the attention it deserves can be difficult, so below are three areas where you can help to streamline your business and make sure that it gets the TLC it deserves while you keep your day job.
Communication
If you work a standard nine to five day job, you may be concerned about whether or not you are able to get back to people in a timely manner when they have questions about your business or products. Being able to get back to potential customers is important, so how can you make sure you are able to do this when you might not be available to them during normal business hours? One way to make this happen is to set up an auto responder. This allows a pre-written message to go out to your potential customer, letting them know when they can expect to hear back from you, say within twenty-four hours. This way, customers know that their email was received and they know that you will be getting back to them. Another way to ensure great communication with your customers is by setting up a live chat app on your website. Most of the time, live chat will assume you have access to a computer, but there are options that will send the messages directly to your phone as a text message, such as ShoutSupport.com, so you don’t lose customers while not available to chat on the computer.
Balance between work and home life
The lines can get fairly blurry for business owners who try to balance work and home life. They can get even blurrier when you are trying to work two jobs. The important thing to remember is to set up boundaries for yourself and make sure that you have some “you” time scheduled. Nothing spells burn out faster than someone working around the clock, so be sure you have a set time when you are done answering phone calls, emails and talking about work. Your sanity and your family will thank you!
Organization
Being organized is a key to getting the job done at your business and your day job. While it is always important to keep good financial records, and have your business paperwork in order, it will be even more important if you are running your business on limited time. There is nothing worse than hunting through computer files for twenty minutes, trying to find your sales tax report, when you only have one hour to work on your business. Setting up a streamlined process where you keep all your records in one place is going to help you tremendously. This doesn’t just apply to records and paperwork either. Having your supplies and products orderly is going to pay off in a big way down the road. Imagine getting an order for a necklace that you want to ship out within two days, only to find that you don’t have enough chain because you didn’t keep track of your supplies! Talk about stress that you don’t need! Peace of mind is so worth the extra time it takes to get set up with an organizational system, and will pay off with lots of extra time in the future!
Running an online business when you have another job does not need to be stressful. With a few systems in place for your online business you will be able to maintain both your day job and your online presence—as well as maintain your sanity. The key to making this work is to put in the time upfront to set up systems and get organized. With a little extra planning you can run your own business while working a day job without any extra drama!
