Should you get a day job while running your business?… Maybe. There are a few reasons why that might be a really good idea.

Watch here or read below.

If you’re new here, you should know that I’ve been an entrepreneur for close to 20 years, so this topic of “should I get a day job?” has come up a lot over those years – either with my clients, or just people that I’ve collaborated with, friends of mine.

So it’s not at all an uncommon question, but I’ve been seeing it a lot in the past year.

Here’s why I think that is…

We have a huge surge of new entrepreneurs right now, but that also means we have a huge surge of marketers for those new entrepreneurs promoting an Easy Button, promoting “6 figures in 6 months“. What happens with that is we start to compare ourselves. We start to think that that’s the norm, not the exception to the rule.

And here’s the thing with this: the thing that I see really underneath all of this is a sense of shame. It’s this idea that I’m not good enough if I have to have a day job, if I don’t make those 6 figures in my first 6 months, or in my first year.

That sense of shame is going to be the most detrimental to your business.

So if you’re facing this question, I want you to take the emotion out of it. Because all that emotion is coming from, is an unmet need for certainty. And guess what? You’re in business for yourself now, honey, there is no such thing as certainty anymore!

When we’re entrepreneurs, we get to get really comfortable being uncomfortable.

So taking that shame out of it will allow you to do some real analysis to see if this is the right fit for you. And there’s two reasons why I think this might be a really good fit for someone.

Reason #1 – Taking Off the Financial Strain

The first is just taking off the financial strain.

It is one of the worst feelings in the world to force a fledgling idea, something that you love and are passionate about, to pay your bills or to support you. It’s something that will rob you of energy, of creativity, of motivation, of inspiration, all of the things you need in order to build your business, to have those innovative ideas, or to put something together in a way that’s actually going to work.

In Marie Forleo’s book, Everything Is Figureoutable, the one that I just reviewed a couple of weeks ago, she talks about Elizabeth Gilbert, and how when she was 15, she made a promise to her creativity that she would never force it to support her. That she would take whatever job she had to take, she would do whatever she had to do to pay her bills, so that her creativity could be free to thrive.

I think that’s what we need to look at with our business.

If you’re in a business that you love, that you really want to be doing long-term, but you’re putting too much financial strain on it, it’s going to kill your creativity, your energy, your motivation, your passion, your drive, and your ability to really show up to the fullest, and be able to build that business and make it successful.

I really noticed this when I was in the first years of my coaching business.

It was exhausting to worry about paying my bills, or the next launch that I was going to do, or “how are my numbers going?“, when I was also trying to put energy into my clients and be the best coach that I could be.

When I finally created a residual income through a product-based business, I had more energy for my clients, for my courses; my creativity had more room to roam around.

This isn’t selling out. Getting a day job is just keeping your promise to yourself that you’re going to make sure that you do whatever you need to do to be successful at this.

Even if it takes longer than you expected (even if it takes longer than some advertisement you saw on Facebook), you’re going to make sure that you’re making the sacrifices that you need to make, and that you’re doing whatever you have to do, including shelving your pride and pulling on some humility, just to be able to ensure your long-term success, not just your short-term saving face.

Reason #2 – Gaining experience

The second reason why I think this might be a really good idea is the ability to gain some real world experience in your industry or your niche.

So if you’re trying to do something where you’re not sure what you don’t know – you don’t know what you’re missing – you want to get some more experience running the type of business that you’re running. If you can find a day job that puts you into that niche, that enables you to learn and grow and develop, so that you now can utilize those skills in your business, that’s awesome. Now you’ve taken off the financial strain and you’re still learning, growing, and developing.

An example of this would be, let’s say, if you were wanting to sell jewelry on Etsy, and you could find an established, successful Etsy shop owner who needed an assistant. You could go in and just absorb everything you possibly could about how it was that they created a successful business. This is going to give you so many more tools to take back to your own business.

Now, obviously there are confidentiality things and legal things that you need to look at. So make sure you do some Googling and know how to do this appropriately if that’s what you’re doing.

But even if you’re not able to gain that real world experience, you might still be able to get a job that still gives you the freedom and flexibility to do your business. And what I mean by this is something that’s easy, that’s mindless, that doesn’t take a lot of your creative energy.

I don’t recommend getting a job that has nice cushy payroll or benefits, that takes a lot of mental energy, emotional energy. Because by the time you get home from it, you’re going to be wiped out. You’ve got nothing left to give your business.

You want something easy, mindless. Even if it’s just paying over minimum wage, you’re just getting your bills paid.

If you can take that on, that’s going to still allow you that freedom, that flexibility to work on your business, but also maybe look for a job that has the freedom and flexibility within those business hours. And the first thing that comes to mind for me is a nightwatch out of warehouse or something; somewhere where you have the ability to maybe listen to podcasts, listen to audio books, work on your skills, work on something while you’re working IN that business.

(Obviously make sure that this is okay with your employer.)

If you’re doing this though, I want you to make sure you have a really good grip on time-management. You need to make sure that you’re time blocking, that you’re creating a business schedule outside of your work, and this might mean making some real sacrifices.

You’re not going to have time to watch Netflix if you are working a day job and running a full time business.

Be willing to take on those short term sacrifices for the long-term gain, the long-term financial freedom that you’re going to be able to create. But do not sacrifice your health, your well being, your mindset, how you feel… what you’re able to bring to both your day job and your business is crucial.

And you may think right now that you’re not going to have time because you have so much going on, but because of that, it’s even more important. We get to take impeccable care of ourselves so that we don’t burn out; so that we have enough to give to the things that matter most.

If you think you don’t have time for such nonsense, like taking care of the only body you have, I can help with that!

Grab my free Self-Care In Seconds training by clicking the button below for some big, much needed mindset shifts, as well as some really practical strategies to start filling your cup in as little as 30 seconds.

What about you, boss lady?

If you have ever held down a day job while building a business what has worked for you? What tips do you have for others?