What If You Didn't Have to Choose? Building a Business While Keeping Your Full-Time Job

Running a Business While Working Fulltime

There's like a subconscious message weaved into the marketing messages that circulate online and you might have silently absorbed it without even realizing it.

The message is, that at some point, you're supposed to choose.

Choose your business or your job.

Choose the safety of your 9-5 or the freedom of fulltime entrepreneurship.

Choose to go all-in on your business or never be serious enough about it.

And the follow-up to that message is an underlying assumption that if you don't make the choice fast enough, that maybe you don't believe in yourself enough, or maybe you aren't working hard enough.

The thing is: that message isn't true.

Running a business while working fulltime isn't just an in between phase before you finally decide to leave your job altogether. Choosing both business and fulltime work isn't a lack of commitment - it's a thoughtful, intentional decision based on the actual life you're living.

The Pressure to Leap to Fulltime Entrepreneurship (and why that's not the whole story)

Here's what ChatGPT had to say on this topic (yes, I asked Chat for an outline of this blog post, and while I wrote the blog post on my own, I thought this paragraph from Chat was an interesting addition to this section of the post).

We hear a lot of leap stories.

Quit the job. Go all in. Figure it out.

They’re compelling. They’re inspiring. And they’re often missing important context.

What those stories usually don’t include are things like:

• financial cushions or support systems

• fewer responsibilities at home

• a season of life that allowed risk

• or a nervous system that could tolerate a lot of uncertainty

If you’re running a business while working fulltime, you’re not behind.

You’re building something alongside a real life — with bills, people who rely on you, and limited energy.

That matters.

Cheesy sentences aside, the sentiment is accurate. It might not make sense for you to leave the stability of your fulltime job and jump into running your business as your main thing. And maybe, you just don't want to choose one or the other.

And you don't have to.

The thing is, keeping your job and building your business can be a strategic, supportive choice. It can mean:

• your bills are covered so your business can grow without the pressure
• you can make decisions with less urgency
• you're not forcing your business to carry you financially
• you can take risks and experiment without as much fear

Bonus: the skills you're developing in each spot can easily complement each other.

What Running A Business While Working Fulltime Actually Looks Like

The reality of running a business while working fulltime is usually much more chill than the internet makes it seem. For me, it comes down to priorities and choices.

Sometimes this looks like simpler offers and showing up on fewer marketing platforms. Usually it means asking honest questions, like:

• what can I realistically manage right now?
• what's my most important thing at the moment?
• what can I let go in order to stay focused on my main priorities?

The truth is, your business doesn't need to take up all of your spare hours. Instead of opening your laptop every time you have a free moment, you can build systems that are consistent, clear, focused, and repeatable, so the time you do have for your business is intentional and impactful.

If you're running your business while working fulltime, I recommend getting really clear about your brand. Your brand is the solid foundation that can guide your other decisions, which is particularly important when trying to balance business alongside everything else.

The Brand Clarity Workbook is a resource to get you started with your brand decisions. You can think of it as a mini-coaching session wrapped up in a step-by-step guide to help you clarify what you actually want your business to do for you and make decisions with confidence. You can grab your copy here.