Running a side hustle isn’t easy, and bootstrapping that side hustle to transition into a full-time entrepreneur isn’t something every dreamer can accomplish. However, if you use your time carefully and grow your business slowly, your side hustle will have a stronger chance of getting off the ground. 

Here are our top tips for anyone who is currently running or considering a side hustle so they can eventually leave their full-time job and embrace their passion.

1. Use your lunch breaks wisely.

Make good use of your breaks at work by planning a list of tasks to get done. Be reasonable so that you make time to eat and take care of yourself, but give yourself concrete goals to accomplish so you won't spend a whole hour distracting yourself from advancing your side hustle. You can use your free time to read your emails, outline a blog post, or both.

2. Make hands-free conference calls.

Hands-free devices are helpful whether you’re running a side hustle because you can use them to eliminate downtime. For example, you can use your drive to your full-time job to grow your side hustle by scheduling calls when you know you'll be in the car. Nobody will even know you're driving as long as you avoid playing music and driving through overly loud routes (no construction zones).

3. Block schedule your meetings.

Try scheduling all your weekly meetings in one block instead of during lunch breaks or random evenings. If you have a favorite meeting venue, you can station yourself there, schedule your meetings back-to-back, and knock them out in a few hours. Also, try planning your meetings weeks ahead instead of trying to fit everything in last minute. It will help you maintain a regular schedule and show your clients your time is valuable. And If you can only work on weekends or evenings, try setting just one 3-4 hour block weekly.

4. Make rush hour work for you.

If you commute to your full-time position, you can make rush hour work for your business by finding a place to hang out near your day job and waiting out the traffic with some concentrated work time. A coffee shop or restaurant with wifi can make the perfect temporary office for you to knock out some side-hustle tasks when you would otherwise be sitting stuck in traffic. In many cities, waiting just 90 minutes before heading home cut your commute time in half, so you won’t waste extra time sitting in traffic when you could be getting your business off the ground.

5. Batch your tasks - especially blogging and social media.

Try batching your business tasks to make the most of your limited time. For example, you could schedule your social posts for the week (or month) in one 1-2 hour block, outline all your blog posts in another, and then write them in a third. Batching tasks makes it easier to keep focused and accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Anything you can schedule ahead of time can be a batch task, even newsletters and emails!

6. Hire help ASAP!

One benefit of having a full-time job is having enough financial security to hire help for your side hustles. For example, part-time social media managers or virtual assistants will often offer packages of just a few hours a week at very reasonable prices, and they can spend time during the day engaging with your social media followers, answering inquiries, or even proofing and publishing your blog posts. Hiring just one person doubles the effort going into your side hustle and can reduce stress by knowing you have someone on call during the day when you can't be.

7. Plan for slow growth to avoid burnout.

Burnout is common for those trying to do two jobs simultaneously, and it’s almost unavoidable when you work late nights and early mornings to get your side hustle off the ground and leave your day job. Even if it doesn't feel like it, having a day job puts you in one of the best situations for entrepreneurship because you still have a steady stream of income to help grow your business. With that extra income, you can plan your growth over months, even years, and make intentional, strategic moves. That way, when you leave your day job, you'll still be financially secure without that revenue source.

8. Work smarter - not harder.

A crucial factor in running your side hustle well during your off hours is to do all of your jobs as efficiently as possible, including your day job. In most cases, ensuring your day job tasks get done more efficiently means you'll have more time to take long lunches and leave early to work on your side hustle while keeping your boss happy. Also, make sure you implement streamlined practices from your side hustle into your day job to finish things faster, like batching tasks, creating systems for clients, newsletters, social media, and more.

9. Schedule your emails.

Use something like Boomerang for Gmail to schedule your emails so your audience won't know you're answering their emails at odd hours. Boomerang is a vital tool when you want to respond to clients and get tasks out of the way but don't want someone wondering why you're writing work emails in the middle of the night.

10. Manage time expectations with customers/clients.

The most important tip for making a side hustle work is to be honest with your audience and let them know they might not get immediate answers during the workday. So instead of promising to respond within 24 hours, try telling clients you’ll get back to them within 48 or 72 hours. This sets an expectation that you will get back to them quickly but not necessarily right away. While some of your audience might not like the delayed response time, many people will appreciate your authenticity and respect your boundaries.