I have not been working at a ‘full-time’ job for a little over 7 months now.  It’s been amazing, wonderful, inspiring, and restful.  But still needing to live in reality, I just accepted a full-time position in my profession of faculty development.

 

In my ‘off’ time, I launched my online polymer jewelry store – ECB Designs – December 1st and actually sold a few items!  

I’m also pursuing a certificate in Social Media Marketing at Northwestern University through a series of Coursera MOOCs.  So part of my launch is also learning how to reach my target market through social marketing.

One thing I know for sure is that I don’t want to lose my momentum with ECB Designs.  Creating polymer jewelry is one expression of my creative self that I find hugely fulfilling and ultimately a great destresser!

So how am I going to keep moving forward in starting this business while working full-time?  Well I did what we all do and Googled it.  Here’s what I found.

One of the top hits is Ryan Robinson’s 10 Steps to Start a Business While Working a Full-time Job

He has 10 great steps but the first two are the ones I want to focus on because it’s about time.

Step 1: Mental Preparation

• Accept that this will be tough in many ways
• Be prepared to make difficult sacrifices

Step 2:

• List all of the commitments you have and the amounts of time you devote to each
• Note the one you can afford to lessen you involvement

These are particularly pertinent to my situation because I’m a joiner!  I love to get involved with everything (almost)!   Book clubs, clay clubs, benefit causes, professional organizations, etc.

And I still operate under the perception that there are more that 24 hours in a day

AND (this is a biggie) I like my sleep!  I NEED my sleep!  I’m not good to be around if I don’t get my sleep!

So what to do:

1. I know it’s going to be hard. For me the creating part of it is natural, but the marketing is the part that I will need to stick to a strict schedule.
2. I will need to be very selective in the causes and groups I volunteer for.

Here’s the link to Ryan’s Infographic for the other 8 steps.

I will begin my new job in a few weeks. So I’m going to work through these two steps as I acclimate to the new position, new institution, and new town.  So stayed tuned for the next installment of this story and more excellent finds on How to Start a Business While Working Full-time!