I know that statement is a little crazy. When you’re starting a business and growing that business, more times than not you wish your full time job would go away. It’d be nice to have 40 hours per week to dedicate to your growing dream vs. Uncle Sam, right?
I get it. I really do. For 17 months, I struggled to find balance between the two. I worked incredibly long hours because my day-job required 40 hours per week, and my business required whatever else I could give. And instead of being grateful for that season of my life, I was angry. I grew defeated. I stopped trying at my day-job. I was resentful of the work being put on my plate when I knew my business to-do list was already too full. I couldn’t see past my exhaustion and bitterness. And I’m willing to bet you can’t either.
See, it’s easy to focus on what isn’t happening, and so much harder to see what is.
Your full-time job is a blessing (even though sometimes you may feel like it’s a blessing in disguise!). When you hit rock bottom and begin to question this journey that you’re on, I want to encourage you to think about the following:
1. Your full-time job is providing you with stability.
You are most likely receiving a constant income & benefits. When you’re striving to grow your side hustle, it’s nice to rest in the thought that your side hustle is NOT paying the bills; your full time job is. When I began DSE, my full-time salary was paying rent & putting food on the table. That meant I could build up my business bank account slowly & steadily; it also meant I could take risks in my growing business! Your full-time job is offering you the ability to grow your business while still having financial security.
2. Your full-time job is providing you with the financial freedom to take risks in your growing business.
Because my full-time job was providing the income I needed to pay the bills, I could take financial risks I thought would better my business in the long run. In the first year of my business, I was able to invest in professional branding, workshops and other educational opportunities. Those investments allowed my business to grow, and I would not have had the financial means to make them happen if it wasn’t for my full time job.
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3. Your full-time job is teaching you pertinent people skills, organizational skills and management skills needed to run a business.
As a business owner, we act as CEO, CFO and HR Director, among other things. It’s important for us to understand our strengths & weaknesses in our current workplace, and apply them to our small business. I would daresay that regardless of WHAT your full-time job is, that job helping you with small business skills. If you’re an administrative assistant, you’re learning pertinent people skills & organizational skills; If you’re a teacher, you’re learning how to manage a group & how to kindly & directly remain in control of a situation; if you work with numbers, those number skills will absolutely come in handy on the back-end of your business; and if you work in management, those skills will allow you to shape your business if & when you have a team (examples: wedding assistant, office assistant, etc.). I could go on & on, but I think you see my point!! I challenge you to sit down & consider ALL that your day-job is teaching you and HOW those skills will be applicable to your business. You may be surprised at all you’re learning!:)
4. Your full-time job is challenging you to get things done, even when it feels impossible.
I look back on the year that I worked full-time, and think “How in the world did I do that!?”. When you’re in the thick of it, when the hustle is all you see, you do one thing: what you have to do. When late nights & early mornings are the only options, you do it. You not only learn your limits, but you also learn just how much you CAN do. And there is so much beauty in that!!! You’re getting things DONE; you’re doing HARD work… and it’s WORKING!!
5. Your full-time job makes you grateful for that moment your side-hustle becomes your full-time job.
You’ve done the 2 job hustle; you understand the late nights, the PTO struggle, and the work-life balance. And that moment when you put in your notice will be the most terrifying & thrilling experience of your LIFE. You’ll appreciate that moment because you know the sweat, tears, and crazy hours it took to get there. You’ll celebrate, soak it in & jump head first into being a full-time small business boss because you worked your cute butt off to get there. And you earned it.
When you’ve having one of those days (…or weeks or months…) and it’s hard to find happiness in the 2 job struggle, I want you to remember WHY you started in the first place. I want you to sit down & remind yourself of all the things your full-time job is providing for you. While the struggle can be overwhelming at times, it IS worth it. Your hard work is not going unnoticed. And I’m cheering for you every step of the way.
