NFIB

No One Ever Said Moonlighting Was Easy, Part II
04/ 01/ 2002

A high percentage of home-based businesses are started as second jobs -- moonlighting in the evenings and on weekends. At first enthusiasm is easy to maintain. But new businesses take time to establish, and as the months go by, it gets tougher to muster up the energy to go back to work in the evening after working all day. In today's Workshop, Jeffrey Moses continues last week's discussion on how to keep the moonlighting momentum allowing you to become successful in your new line of work.

One difficulty with moonlighting is shifting mental gears. It's hard for most people to focus on one thing all day, then devote energy and attention to something completely different during the evening hours. This shifting of gears can be aggravating and exhausting. The best way to overcome this problem is to take an adequate break before starting the evening's work. Let your mind and body relax, if only for 15 minutes or half an hour. Then dive into work. You'll probably find yourself picking up momentum as the evening progresses.

Another hardship that accompanies moonlighting is that people may have trouble directing their own work. Most people work a regular job during the day, and constantly have fellow employees and bosses around telling them what to do. This may not be the case when moonlighting in a home-based business. Suddenly you're the boss. There's no one to tell you what to do, or make you do it. Everything depends on you, and that may be different than what you're used to.

To overcome this, set priorities. Make to-do lists. Never end one work session without making plans for what you're going to accomplish during your next session. Gradually you'll become more used to being your own boss. This is a natural process that takes time so don't be overly hard on yourself when you make mistakes.

Aside from hard work, a key factor in the success of any new business is making personal contacts that allow you to expand the business, to sell your products, to learn all about new aspects of your chosen field. Never become so busy or so driven that you neglect these aspects of your work. Sometimes it's more productive to take the evening off and attend a workshop that will advance your knowledge, or establish a regular evening of the week for taking a class at a nearby university. You might consider joining the Chamber of Commerce, or the Toastmasters, or attending community meetings with your spouse so you can meet new people -- anything to get you out into the community so that you're not isolated in your new business. This can pay double dividends. First, it will provide a natural break to refresh you. Second, it will put you in contact with people who may eventually become customers or suppliers, or who will help raise you to new levels of knowledge within your chosen field.

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