When I started SORMAG I honestly didn’t expect it be more than a hobby. I never thought I’d make money from it, or it would be a business. 18 years later it’s my side business.
One day it will be my full time job, but for now I’m happy with my Government gig.
I decided I wanted to write more about having a side business and how I deal with it working a full time job. I will admit it hasn’t been an easy feat but I love what I do at both jobs, so I’m happy.
Today I want to talk about a subject I get asked a lot when I do interviews.
How do you balance it all LaShaunda?
I always say, who says I balance it, I’m coo coo for cocoa puffs. They all laugh but I’m serious. For me balance is an everyday process. Some days you have everything working in order. Your work flow is wonderful, family life is perfect and life throws you a curve.
The furnace goes out, your sister dies, your job goes on furlough or a few customers decide to take their business somewhere else.
There goes your balance and you are scrambling to get back on track.
Those curves above actually happened to me and I survived them. Yes they each threw my balance completely out of whack but I learned something from each situation.
I wish I had a formula to share, but I honestly I just keep on living as my mother use to tell me. I will share with you a few lessons I’ve learned rocking a full time job and side business.
Your balance is different from mine.
What I deal with and what you deal with will never be the same. Don’t beat yourself up trying to compare yourself to others.
Some people can ROCK a full time job and come home and ROCK another 8 hours. If you can do it, all power to you, if you can’t do what works for you. You are trying to find your balance, not someone else’s.
There is no such thing as true balance.
True balance doesn’t exist because every day is different. You don’t know what God has in store for you all you can do is give it the best and move on to the next day when it’s over.
As I said before, find what works for you and work it.
Set boundaries
When it comes to your business you need boundaries. For instance:
Working hours – let your customers know your business hours so you aren’t working 24/7.
Let your family know your business hours so they give you the time you need to work your business.
Respect your business hours so you don’t get overwhelmed or burnt out.
This was a hard lesson for me because when I started working SORMAG as a business, I thought I had to be on call 24/7 because I was a side business. I couldn’t be available during those day core hours. I was teaching my clients they could contact me anytime and I would response. When did I get a break?
I was stressing my own self out because I hadn’t learned to set boundaries for my customers and boundaries for me.
You can have a life
This was another hard lesson for me because I always was in business mode trying to make that money that I spent me hours in front of the computer instead of making time to enjoy life. Lucky for me my children were small when I started, so I did a lot of my work while they were sleep.
Now I make time for my friends and do more fun things instead of always being in work mode.
Have family time – If you don’t they will feel neglected and resentful. I started family fun night once a month and Pizza night once a week.
Hang out with your friends – Unfortunately my friendships suffered because I stopped hanging out with my girlfriends, because I was working the business. I didn’t realize that I could have a life and work the side business too.
Take care of you – If you have an online business, you find yourself sitting behind a computer many hours. This isn’t good for your body. You need exercise in your life. You need to treat yourself to a massage once a month. Your body will thank you. You need those ME days were you treat yourself to something fun.
I’ve found that my balance is all about being happy, healthy and productive. My business runs smoothly and so do I.
Have you found your balance?
