Where Do I Find the Time?

Q. I have a full time job and an extremely busy life with 3 kids and my husband going back to school part time while still working his full time job. I want to start my own business - although I'm not sure which one yet - but I don't think I have the time. How can I make it work?

A. You DO have the time. You just may need to make some adjustments.

First, let's take a look at your expectations. If you think you are going to put in a couple of hours a week and yet be able to quit your job in 6 months, you need to adjust your expectations. That is just unrealistic. But if you and your husband are willing to continue to work your jobs and start your business part time, you can soon be bringing in a nice supplemental income while you continue to grow your business.

If you have decided that a part-time business is fine while you grow, then the next thing you may need to adjust is how you spend your time. Get a calendar for the month. Let's start with July since it's just getting started. First, pencil in your and your husband's work schedules. This is time that is already blocked and can't be used to grow your business. Next mark any other dates and times that are absolutely locked in - anything that can't be rescheduled or cancelled. Next, pick one day that is for you and your family. No work allowed. My day is Sunday. That's the day I very rarely do any type of work, but instead devote myself to church and family. Now look at your calendar. Allowing for sleep of course, the remaining hours are the times you have available to work your business. Start scheduling yourself some "appointments." These don't have to be real appointments to meet with someone, but I have learned that if you write down a commitment to do something and schedule a time to do it, you are much more likely to actually follow through. So let's say we skip our favorite Monday night TV show and use that hour to solidify your business concept. Tuesday night perhaps your husband doesn't have class but he's on the computer doing homework anyway so let's schedule him to register a domain name. Wednesday let's spend some time doing market research on your business. Thursday do a little research on your competitors. Friday attend a local business networking event. Saturday start building your online presence (website, social media, etc).  See?  By the end of the week you will have made significant progress towards starting your business.

My point is that in the beginning it's not so much the quantity of time spent as the consistency. Do a little something - ANYTHING - but do something every day to help your business grow. Read information about your industry, attend webinars, make a contact list of prospects, make a few phone calls, send some emails, mail a brochure, update your website. Every day do at least one thing to grow your business and you'll see that slowly but steadily, your business will grow, your income will grow and you WILL one day be able to take your part-time business to a full-time lifestyle. Good luck!