5 Ways to Keep Your Day Job While You Start a Business

You’ve probably noticed that people are embracing entrepreneurship like never before. With today's technology, I don’t think there’s ever been a better time to become your own boss. If you’ve got an Internet connection and a smartphone or laptop, you can work from just about anywhere in the world.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with holding down a day job that comes with a W2 paycheck. But having income from your own business comes with many upsides. If you’ve been dreaming of quitting your day job to start a business, you might be wondering whether taking such a big leap is worth it.

Today, we’ll cover smart, incremental ways to become self-employed. These tips will help you stay stable and reduce risk instead of jumping into the fire. You’ll learn how to face your career fears and prepare for the future by adding entrepreneurship to your resume.

1. Define your vision for success
2. Create a profitable side gig
3. Negotiate for job flexibility
4. Find extra time in your day
5. Build financial security

Here’s what you need to know about each of these tips.

1. Define your vision for success

Before changing your job or making the transition from employee to self-employed, take time to define what you truly want to achieve in your career. Sometimes, our ideas of success come from other people. That can cause you to follow a career path that never ends up being fulfilling.  

Maybe your boss thinks you should regularly work late to climb the corporate ladder, or a parent says you should go to graduate school. You might take a lucrative job you don’t like because that’s what your friends are doing. But if that job requires frequent travel when what you really want is to start a family, care for aging parents, or spend time enjoying where you live, you’ll never be happy.

If you don’t pause periodically to reflect on what success means to you, it becomes easier to fall into work based on other people’s priorities. If your decisions aren’t intentionally leading you toward a life that excites you, you’ll wander away from what you truly want.

If your decisions aren’t intentionally leading you toward a life that excites you, you’ll likely wander away from what you truly want.

So, let's say you're on-board. You realize that you should never let external markers of success—such as a big paycheck or a fancy job title...

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