How to grow a side business while working a full-time job
Balancing a full-time job with a growing side business creates severe burnout and makes it difficult to decide where to invest time and money. When dealing with extreme exhaustion and competing priorities, people struggle to figure out what to focus on first without wasting funds on inventory or advertising.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to grow a side business while working a full-time job
- 1Taking time off using savingsDid this help you?
- 2Signing a contract for a new traditional job to secure incomeDid this help you?
- 3Starting small with a few sales through a resale appDid this help you?
- 4Growing organically through RedditDid this help you?
- 5Participating in physical craft marketsDid this help you?
- 6focus on learning and validating the clothing brand rather than trying to make everything perfect from the startDid this help you?
- 7keep your finances organized and separate business and personal moneyDid this help you?
- 8learn the basics yourself and pay for professionals when neededDid this help you?
- 9Buying products ahead of timeDid this help you?
- 10Looking into service business ideas like headlight or wheel restoration to do on weekendsDid this help you?
- 11Working a current part-time job for $20/hrDid this help you?
- 12Considering a sporadic higher-paying job at a moving companyDid this help you?
- 13Eating through personal savings and accumulating credit card debtDid this help you?
- 14Looking for a proven roadmap from others who have done it.Did this help you?
- 15Focusing on solving an annoying real-world problem rather than chasing a product idea to naturally sustain motivation.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I would like to learn a skill but i don't know where to start i been looking at business like a headlight restoration to start on weekends or after my job or like a wheel restoration.”source ↗
“Few weeks ago i started buying some of the products for it but never started doing anything idk how people learn these skills as i cant quit my full time job to go work for someone to learn has anyone left their job and pursued something like this?”source ↗
“I have been eating through my savings and am now in about $3200 of credit card debt.”source ↗
“The question I have, is if I should get yet another part time job?? Or double down on my business??”source ↗
“How do you guys find the time to manage social, educational and productive time?”source ↗
“The problem is now that I’ve realized how burned out I am and I’m dreading going back.”source ↗
“What I’m struggling with is whether I’d be stupid to keep spending money on inventory, putting time into the business, and doing all the other things that come with trying to grow while I’m working my regular job.”source ↗
“It’s not strong enough to keep me locked in to make progress.”source ↗
“Maybe I’m asking for something to fix what is just laziness…”source ↗
“I’ve recently started a tiny creative subscription business in the UK and I’m trying to work out how to grow it sensibly without throwing loads of money at advertising.”source ↗
“I currently have 10 paying subscribers, and I’m doing this alongside a full-time 9-5 job.”source ↗
“I’m trying to figure out what I should actually be prioritising at this stage.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 9How to balance wedding planning with a full time job
- 2Do I need to tell my employer about side work?
- 2How to handle job interviews while working full time without PTO
- 9When is it time to go all in on a business?
- 3How to raise a puppy when you work full time alone?
- 11How to quit a corporate job to start your own business