So what does it mean when someone says they want to go “full-time”? Do you currently run your business half-time?Probably not! You probably RUN it full-time but in addition to another job or career.
Is it a lot to juggle? Probably. Is it stressful?Sure.
I ran my stationery business as a “side-hustle” for 7 years (S-E-V-E-N!). I was very blessed with my business, but also had an amazing “corporate” job that was great pay, easy work, and amazing benefits. So I made both of them work for as long as I could. Yes, it required lots of balancing, late-nighters, and sacrifice, but it was worth it.
I hear people chatting all the time about “going full-time”, “how to leave your 9-5” and all the miraculous tricks promised to get you there. But I am here to tell you a few things,
FIRST – your success is NOT defined by you “leaving your 9-5”.
I have known many, many successful business owners who have run their businesses like a boss and no one even knew they still had a “corporate job”.
And SECOND – that “going full-time” looks different for every single person.
You can not define yourself or your business by how “quickly” another stationer quit their full-time job, or how much success they seem to have. That is truly in the eye of the beholder. Maybe you have more financial obligations, maybe you have no other options for medical benefits, maybe you actually LOVE your corporate job, too.
Does everyone have dreams of NOT juggling two jobs, and NOT working nights and weekends to do both, of course – I think that’s only human nature. But don’t beat yourself up, you are more than likely building a business from the ground up, by yourself. That is no small feat.
I know over my seven years of juggling two jobs (plus having 3 kids!) it was tough. There were many, many days I wanted to throw in the towel for one job or the other, but I kept foraging on because I believed in myself and my business. I know there were days that I would beg my husband to let me quit my corporate job, and he (and the Lord) always said, not yet.And you know what, in 2015 when I had a high-risk twin pregnancy, that corporate paycheck and insurance came in super handy.
And guess what – in 2017 when I finally was able to leave my corporate job and pursue my business “full time” (aka continue doing exactly the same thing I had been doing!), it made it that much sweeter and we had prepared for that day and it made the transition so much easier.
So what exactly does it mean to go full-time? That is for you to define. There is no set rulebook for entrepreneurs that says you have to spend 40-50 hours a week, or book 250 clients a year, or make six figures. Because guess what, I don’t.I honestly work maybe 30-35 hours a week, running BOTH of my business. And when it comes to clients, I truly believe in quality over quantity. I actually book way fewer clients each year than I used to, but it’s because I have grown my business in such a way that allows me to work with fewer, yet, higher-end clients each year and still grow my revenue every year.
I am here to tell you that it is 100% ok to have your stationery business as a side hustle and not feel guilty or “less than” because of it.
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