How can I build a digital business without compromising my current job?
If this question is in your mind – keep reading.
According to a recent study, 45% of full-time employees have a side hustle, yet many need help to grow it into a sustainable business. Zapier, “Side Hustle Report: 40% of Americans Have a Side Job” (2022)
After working for a few years, you now believe you can start your entrepreneurial venture.
But fear of failure, lack of time, uncertainty, and clarity hold you back.
What if you could build a successful digital business without sacrificing your job security or personal life?
What if you could create a pathway to financial freedom and professional fulfillment without burning out?
Content is the best way to build authority in your domain.
You are not creating the content, so your thoughts and philosophy are not reaching the masses.
Many dream of becoming thought leaders, but only some have achieved that.
You are in a job and working 8-10 hours. Out of 24 hours, the job leaves you only a few hours.
if it is a 9-6 PM job. Your employer governs 9-6 PM.
1. The 6 PM – 9 AM?
In whichever domain you want to be a thought leader, there is a 10000-hour rule.
If I say you can devote 2 hours daily to your skill/craft and 4 hours on weekends, I assume your Saturday is on. Then, you will devote 16 hours per week, i.e., 64 hours per month. In a year, you will devote 768 hours. With this pace, you can master your game in 13 years.
I have taken the slowest pace. If you double it, you will take six years.
If you triple it, it will take only three years.
Whatever the case, numbers don’t matter. What matters is whether you are putting in the required hours daily.
2. Build Your Voice
Russel Bruson says that if you work on a platform for 365 days – you never have to work for money.
Your first 50-100 pieces of content will bore people because you are boring. After that, you will build your voice.
For the first 50- pieces of content, you are mastering your craft.
Learn to build and Learn to Sell. If you do both – you become unstoppable – Naval Ravikant.
You believe you have already worked 8-10 hours at your job, and now it is your right to relax and enjoy yourself.
After working five days /6 days full day – you deserve a Saturday / Sunday with complete rest.
Working on your entrepreneurial dream with your full-time job is not a small task.
It requires dedication, strategic planning, and efficient time management.
You are right
But where is it leading you? It leads you to the same pond to drink the same water. It is leading you to the same job to do it repeatedly.
You hope to move from one job to another to take 10-30% salary growth.
People will remain people. The job that initially satisfies you with more money will become your new normal.
After a month / two, the job will stop kicking you, and you will be the same.
Your actions are more towards completing the job and looking for a new job, and the cycle repeats.
You expect a 100-200-300 percent jump because some people are making that money.
How are they able to make it?
Why are they making that money?
They have become the thought leader.
Out of some 1000 people in the organization – one person will be chosen as a CEO.
What is your probability?
What if the organization brings that from outside?
My friend Sandeep Gupta remarks, “Go to the office, come back home. Go to the office, come back home.”
This is where your life is, and you sometimes feel stuck.
You believe you have much more potential.
During the work hours, you are focused and engaged. There is no distraction.
Work has become the new normal. You know all the tactics—how to survive on the job and remain valuable to the organization.
This is, ideally, a big task. Yes, it is a big task
What you think and believe about yourself is different.
What you are woking is differnent.
You think I can make 5-10 lacs a month if I am not in the job, but you make 1 Lac a month in the job.
This gap between your thoughts and reality keeps you on the job.
Keep doing the work. Doing/leaving the job is not essential here.
What is important is working on your craft.
3. Build your product / Business
You do not need to leave the job to create your product/service.
You need a dedicated 2-hour daily work to build your product/service.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs are overwhelmed, trying to get everything right, including their day jobs, family responsibilities, and budding businesses.
As Chris Guillebeau notes in his book “Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days”:
“The challenge isn’t coming up with ideas; it’s making ideas happen. And to make ideas happen, you have to be able to take action without getting overwhelmed.”
Many face a core struggle when trying to start a digital business alongside their full-time job. The key is to break down the process into manageable steps and create a sustainable routine.
Ok, let’s share the process.
4. Answer these questions:
- What are you good at?
- What do you love doing?
- What is the problem that you can solve uniquely in the marketplace?
- For what you can be paid for
I have worked with hundreds of professionals to identify their Niche and help them become the thought leaders in the desired domain.
5. Follow The daily process
- Set aside 2 hours for deep work.
- Start writing about your topic in 1-2 hours.
- Post your creation on the social media of your choice.
- Repurpose and repeat your best work in different places.
If you follow these four steps, I can say, “Meet me after one year, and you will not be the same person.”
Implementing these strategies can lead to significant transformation. Take the case of Pat Flynn, who started his digital business while working as an architect. In his book “Will It Fly?”, Flynn shares: “I started my first online business as a side project, working on it during lunch breaks and after my day job. Within a year, my side hustle generated more income than my full-time job.”
Flynn’s experience illustrates that with persistence and the right approach, it’s possible to build a thriving digital business without initially quitting your day job.
Get my 7 Days to Digital Business FREE to create your product and brand, leading to Digital Wealth discreetly.
It would be best if you had more focus and clarity of direction, and you would become unstoppable.
Imagine writing daily, creating your product/service, and becoming the thought leader in your domain.
What satisfaction will you witness in your work hours because you are already building your name post-work hours?
Your company doesn’t penalize you for sharing your views about a topic/content. I don’t believe so.
As I have previously worked in a university teaching Economics, I have wondered, “What problem will my university have if I write on social media about Economics?”
What problem will my university have ” if I am invited to speak on the topic of Economics on podcasts and at various places?”
Your brand building will help the organization.
Your organization will feel valuable having you in the organization.
When you look for a change – Your brand will help you command more value.
Warren Buffet says, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you receive.”
Price the amount your employer paid you to employ you. Value is what you bring to the table as an Employee.
Are you ready to take the first step toward your digital entrepreneurship journey? Remember, every successful digital business starts with a single action. What will yours be?