Should I Start My Business Part Time?

In my article "Do You Really Want A Business of Yourposition but this also might put your employer in a bind.
Own," I discussed questions that one should answerAnd, if this happens too often, your employer may be
before beginning any business. The answers that youforced to hire someone else to fill your position. Be
give should help determine if you are therealistic; if you own a part time business and it
entrepreneurial type.interferes with your present job, it will not interfere for
Running a business can be difficult and it is timelong. Your employer will be forced to find another
consuming. And there is the aspect of needing moneyemployee and let you go.
to live on while the business is in the startup stage. SoBe Patient. It may take a long time to see a profit in
that brings me to the title of this article, "Should I Startyour business. And a part time business will usually
My Business Part Time?"receive part time income. However, there are usually
Some topics to consider when deciding between a fullseveral advantages to owning a part time business.
time and a part time business include the following:· Generally, you work out of your home. This
· What benefits will you give up if you leave a fullsaves money from having to lease property, pay
time job? These include having a regular paycheck, lifeextra utility bills, deal with landlords, etc.
and health insurance, retirement benefits such as 401k,· You are not away from your family as much as
pension, paid vacations, sick days, and any otherif you owned a full time business.
benefit that your position offers.· You can work the hours that you want, dressed
· Can I still work at my present job while runningthe way that you want, and wherever you want. This
my business or will operating my business interferefreedom is worth a lot of money by itself.
with my regular job? Sometimes, this may be hard to· There is no bureaucracy to fight with; you make
separate the two positions especially if there is athe decisions about all of the aspects of your business.
deadline at your new business.However, on the flip side of this is the fact that if
· Is the business that I have chosen compatiblesomething is wrong, it is your fault. No one else to
with only working it part time? These businessesblame.
include working on the internet, home parties,As with any decision that you make in life, there are
bookkeeping, craft fairs, flea markets, etc.pros and cons. Starting a part time business is no
· Will owning a part time business and working aexception. First you must decide if you really want a
full time job lead to mental and physical exhaustion?business, then you must choose what type of
Sometimes you may not get enough rest and this canbusiness and, finally, you must decide whether you
become a real problem.want to start as a part time business or jump right in
One other aspect of operating a part time business isand begin a full time business.
being fair to your present employer. There may beThese decisions are just the beginning. Every day in
times that you need to be away from your presentyour business, hundreds of choices must be made.
position in order to take care of something in yourFrom the mundane to the challenging, it is your
business. What does your employer do? Perhaps,responsibility to make these choices because now you
there are other employees that can handle yourcan say I am a business owner.