How to start a business whilst working full-time?
The answer isn't quiting your job.
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Date: 1st March 2025Average Read Time: 4 mins 40 seconds
I’ve spoken a lot before about how I really wouldn’t advise that anyone quits their job to start their own business (and if you don’t want to listen to my advice you can hear the business GOAT himself - Alex Hormozi - also share this sentiment in his latest podcast with Steven Bartlett on The Diary of a CEO).
It begs the question though, how can you start a business whilst working full-time?!
I’m not talking about the actual steps you need to take to set up a business…
I’m referring to actually finding the time whilst working.
There are a few places you can “find” time in your day which I’m going to explain shortly in this post but I first want to explain….
I do now work part-time as a doctor but I didn’t always.
I was very much working full-time when I started my business(s) with my brother and I had to “find” time exactly as I’m about to describe in this post.
I’ll be quick to admit that it isn’t easy BUT it isn’t impossible.
The first thing I need to mention before we talk about finding time is that if you are starting a business whilst working full-time, you need to make sure that the business you are starting doesn’t conflict with your existing employment contract.
There needs to be no conflict of interest before you can even think about getting started…. It might be best to speak with a lawyer if you have any doubts but as a minimum make sure you aren’t breaking any non-compete clauses you might have agreed to with your employer.
The moment you’re happy it’s okay to get going you’re ready to find time….
There are arguably 4 times when you can work on your business around your job.
I'll go on to explain them now with some examples of how you can maximise them.
These options might seem pretty obvious but you need to really carefully consider what you are doing in these blocks of time to see if it is possible for you to find time.
You need to try to maximise these blocks of time as much as you can.
It begs the question though, how can you start a business whilst working full-time?!
I’m not talking about the actual steps you need to take to set up a business…
I’m referring to actually finding the time whilst working.
There are a few places you can “find” time in your day which I’m going to explain shortly in this post but I first want to explain….
I do now work part-time as a doctor but I didn’t always.
I was very much working full-time when I started my business(s) with my brother and I had to “find” time exactly as I’m about to describe in this post.
I’ll be quick to admit that it isn’t easy BUT it isn’t impossible.
The first thing I need to mention before we talk about finding time is that if you are starting a business whilst working full-time, you need to make sure that the business you are starting doesn’t conflict with your existing employment contract.
There needs to be no conflict of interest before you can even think about getting started…. It might be best to speak with a lawyer if you have any doubts but as a minimum make sure you aren’t breaking any non-compete clauses you might have agreed to with your employer.
The moment you’re happy it’s okay to get going you’re ready to find time….
There are arguably 4 times when you can work on your business around your job.
I'll go on to explain them now with some examples of how you can maximise them.
These options might seem pretty obvious but you need to really carefully consider what you are doing in these blocks of time to see if it is possible for you to find time.
You need to try to maximise these blocks of time as much as you can.
1.Before work
How do you commute to work?
For example: if you drive you can’t exactly work in the car BUT could it be possible for you to commute on the train so that you can do some business admin whilst you’re travelling?
Alternatively, if you need to drive do you find yourself sitting in traffic for longer that necessary? It might be that you could leave for work an hour earlier which would reduce your commute time by 30 minutes and give you an extra hour to work on your own business “at your desk” before you start your job.
This is a win-win for you and your boss….
It means you look super keen (when in fact you’re just maximising your time) but it also means you are always on time for work. Your boss can’t complain.
How do you commute to work?
For example: if you drive you can’t exactly work in the car BUT could it be possible for you to commute on the train so that you can do some business admin whilst you’re travelling?
Alternatively, if you need to drive do you find yourself sitting in traffic for longer that necessary? It might be that you could leave for work an hour earlier which would reduce your commute time by 30 minutes and give you an extra hour to work on your own business “at your desk” before you start your job.
This is a win-win for you and your boss….
It means you look super keen (when in fact you’re just maximising your time) but it also means you are always on time for work. Your boss can’t complain.
2.During your lunch break:
How long do you have for lunch and do you spend this as efficiently as you could?
It might be that your lunch is only 30 minutes… This doesn’t leave much room for anything aside from eating & stretching your legs.
It might be that you have a longer lunch break…. If this is the case could you use a chunk of this time to complete a task you’ve been meaning to tick off for your business.
It might not be possible to sit with your laptop but could you still have a notepad that you brainstorm ideas into or make notes of research you’re doing on your phone.
Alternatively, it might be that you work from home and in that case you probably could spend some time of your lunch break at your own laptop.
How long do you have for lunch and do you spend this as efficiently as you could?
It might be that your lunch is only 30 minutes… This doesn’t leave much room for anything aside from eating & stretching your legs.
It might be that you have a longer lunch break…. If this is the case could you use a chunk of this time to complete a task you’ve been meaning to tick off for your business.
It might not be possible to sit with your laptop but could you still have a notepad that you brainstorm ideas into or make notes of research you’re doing on your phone.
Alternatively, it might be that you work from home and in that case you probably could spend some time of your lunch break at your own laptop.
3. After Work:
As with driving to work in rush hour, could you stay behind work for an extra hour to work on your own business?
This would mean you miss the rush hour which shortens your commute home whilst allowing you some focused time to do a few tasks.
Alternatively, once you get home is it possible to allocated a block of time to working on your business during the evening?
It might not be possible to do this every evening but a protected hour here and there quickly add up such that you do make progress during the week (even if these hours are late in the evening once you’ve put the kids to bed).
Try to be strict with yourself both when it comes to actually sitting down to work and keeping it to a strict set amount of time!
As with driving to work in rush hour, could you stay behind work for an extra hour to work on your own business?
This would mean you miss the rush hour which shortens your commute home whilst allowing you some focused time to do a few tasks.
Alternatively, once you get home is it possible to allocated a block of time to working on your business during the evening?
It might not be possible to do this every evening but a protected hour here and there quickly add up such that you do make progress during the week (even if these hours are late in the evening once you’ve put the kids to bed).
Try to be strict with yourself both when it comes to actually sitting down to work and keeping it to a strict set amount of time!
4. During the weekends:
Ultimately, as you start a business you will need to make sacrifices and those sacrifices can come in many different forms.
You will have to sacrifice your free time whilst you are still working and an obvious place to find time is on your days off or weekends.
You might not be able to see friends or family as often as you like but starting a business doesn’t mean you have to completely shut yourself away…. As with working on weekends, try to schedule blocks of time on your days off which are dedicated to working on your business.
You can still do things around this if you want/need to and adjust your schedule depending on your commitments.
Ultimately, as you start a business you will need to make sacrifices and those sacrifices can come in many different forms.
You will have to sacrifice your free time whilst you are still working and an obvious place to find time is on your days off or weekends.
You might not be able to see friends or family as often as you like but starting a business doesn’t mean you have to completely shut yourself away…. As with working on weekends, try to schedule blocks of time on your days off which are dedicated to working on your business.
You can still do things around this if you want/need to and adjust your schedule depending on your commitments.
You will need time to work on your business and whilst you are still working full-time it is going to be hard to find this time…
It seems tempting to want to lock yourself away and work on your business every free moment but I learn’t the hard way that this isn’t always the most productive.
As parkinson’s law states, the work we need to do will expand to fill the time we give it. This couldn’t be more true when you’re starting a business.
You could spend hours, days or weeks even deliberating about brand values/colours/typography/logo designs if you really wanted to but the truth is that you could force yourself to come to a decision sooner. This is the beauty of having small pockets of time to work within, you will be much more efficient and you won’t waste as much time procrastinating.
You will be forced to become an “essentialist” such that you get the important jobs done instead of those that make you feel like you’re working but are actually just a complete waste of time….
Business card designs? I’m looking at you.
Did you know I offer 1:1 coaching to help others make changes in their lives? This can be related to careers, starting a business or forming healthier habits. Please just send me an email directly to elle@gabrielletodd.com if this is something you feel you would benefit from & would like to learn more about.
It seems tempting to want to lock yourself away and work on your business every free moment but I learn’t the hard way that this isn’t always the most productive.
As parkinson’s law states, the work we need to do will expand to fill the time we give it. This couldn’t be more true when you’re starting a business.
You could spend hours, days or weeks even deliberating about brand values/colours/typography/logo designs if you really wanted to but the truth is that you could force yourself to come to a decision sooner. This is the beauty of having small pockets of time to work within, you will be much more efficient and you won’t waste as much time procrastinating.
You will be forced to become an “essentialist” such that you get the important jobs done instead of those that make you feel like you’re working but are actually just a complete waste of time….
Business card designs? I’m looking at you.
Did you know I offer 1:1 coaching to help others make changes in their lives? This can be related to careers, starting a business or forming healthier habits. Please just send me an email directly to elle@gabrielletodd.com if this is something you feel you would benefit from & would like to learn more about.
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