For some people, the idea of opening a home-based business is tempting – but not tempting enough to give up their successful career as an employee. However, the two concepts, running a home-based business and holding a job, are not mutually exclusive. There are a few things you need to establish and know beforehand, but we are sure that everything will work out just fine.
The first issue is related to the terms and conditions of the agreement with your employer. Depending on your job positions and restrictions operating in your industry, you may be legally prevented from running a side business or independent activity which may compete with your employer’s interests, or which will cause you to supply services to your employer’s clients. If you want to be 100% certain that your home-based business does not violate the terms of your labor agreement, you should consult an attorney specializing in commercial law.
The second issue is finding a home-based business idea that does not require your full time and attention, and which you can focus on during the evenings and weekends. Today’s article will focus exactly on this aspect – the best side business ideas which you can run while keeping your full time job.
1. Social Media Manager
Some people have developed a knack for engaging others in conversations, sharing posts which go viral and build an entire network of followers. This makes them very popular on the social media and makes them the perfect choice for managing business accounts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.
As a social media manager for various clients, you will not have to devote all your time to your home-based business. You can use various automation tools to schedule posts, spend the evening browsing your news aggregator of choice and select the curated content you want to re-share. All in all, it would not take you more than a couple of hours every day to make sure that the conversation is alive on the pages you manage, to answer to comments and inquiries, and schedule future posts.
2. Blogger
Blogging is rarely going to bring you a sufficient income so that it could replace your full-time job. A few bloggers make a lot of money, but they were already industry leaders or celebrities in their niche, or started blogging when everyone else still had no idea what this meant.
As a blogger, you can make a side income by posting affiliate links and banners on your blog, writing product reviews or getting hired to write content for others. On various occasions, bloggers will work as ghost writers for various busy entrepreneurs or celebrities, writing on their blogs.
3. Graphic Designer
Graphic design is a lively industry, which is always in demand of talented people. If you are creative and excel at working with graphic design software, you could run a successful part-time home-based business. You do not have to engage in complex and time consuming activities, such as designing complex websites and corporate identity materials. Most part-time designers make a good side income designing banners, landing pages, brochures and other such small projects.
4. Tax Preparation
Although this activity will keep you busy only for a few weeks during the year, it is worthwhile as an extra income for your family, or to put into your children’s college funds. An independent tax consultant could earn up to $229 per tax return file. You can make more than one monthly salary in just a couple of weekends – that is quite motivating for many people who want to find a way to supplement their earnings.
5. Private Tutoring
Online tutoring is not the same as sitting at a desk with a teacher for a one-on-one lesson. You could run this side home-based business by pre-recording your lessons during your spare time, and setting aside time during the weekend to correct tests and homework. Your students will also enjoy the flexibility of taking the lessons whenever they have time, logging on to your website and watching the recorded lessons.
These five side business ideas already help many people earn more money apart from their fixed salary, without having to give up their full-time job. If it works for them, it can certainly work for you. Good luck!