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4 Ways You Can Succeed With Your Side Hustle While Working A Day Job

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Some people are entrepreneurs from the get go. They’ve been negotiating from the days of their first lemonade stand. Other people blossom as an entrepreneur later in life, and they might still be in a full time job.

How do we make sure we gain success with our side hustle when we are doing it alongside our day job? We still need the income and security of the day job, but we know the side hustle will take off if we put in maximum effort.

Here are 4 ways you can succeed while working your day job:

1. Plan your time when you get home

It’s easy to get back after a 30-minute commute, put your feet up on the sofa and relax; well this isn’t the time to start doing that! You have four precious hours from when you set foot through that door to when you go to bed, make them count.

At the beginning of the week write down how many spare hours you’re going to have after work. Factor in your commute from your place of work and time for food. Then build a plan for that week set goals with times, instead of: “Build the new website for selling goods”. Set the following goal: “Spend 1 hour on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday night on the new website”.

This will give you clearer definition, an agreed timescale and proves to yourself that you’re using the time after your day job wisely.

“Stop whining, start hustling.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

2. Squeeze extra hours out of the day

What time does the average worker wake up to leave for work? Let’s say 6:30 to leave an hour later? Then what do they do with that hour? Sit on their phone checking their latest social media accounts? What a waste of time.

How much more could you get done if you woke up at 5:30am, and left at the same time of 7:30am for your commute? That’s two extra hours you have to grind towards success, whilst everyone else is sleeping.

Committing to these two extra hours every morning you’ll walk into your day job with the following thoughts:

  1. You’ll be much more positive as you’ve already made a change to your life that morning. You’ve written an inspirational blog post, or sold another service, moving towards your personal goals aside from your day job.
  2. You’ll feel more energised compared to the other staff at your day job. They’ve soaked up all the negativity from social media, and still half asleep.

 

3. Write ideas down during the day

We can use the day job to our advantage, by finding solutions to problems. Solutions will come out of nowhere for problems that you may be having away from your day job. The problem is we’re not at our desks at home to act on them straight away, we can’t write that inspirational blog post, or sketch out our new product idea.

This is where the single most important object of my life comes in, my notebook. Write down whatever comes to mind, don’t think, just write. You may think you’re writing down the silliest idea you’ve ever had, but trust me that’s when the best ideas can come. We forget the best ideas can stem from the most insignificant idea, history tells us this.

Then when you get home you can scan through your notebook picking out all your ideas, thoughts and solutions. There will be some gems in there that you would have forgotten about. The practice of writing something down scribes it in our subconscious, and gives us a much better chance of remembering it in the future.

“Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition – in having put forth the best within you.” – Henry J. Kaiser

4. Remember your day job doesn’t define you

In this day and age people are impressed by the letters after their names, or titles on their business cards. No job title will ever define you.

The head of a company may have Director on their business card, but it doesn’t mean that they are a leader; it might just mean they are great at instilling fear into people.

You have so many talents that can not be written on a business card: “Go-getter, Personal Developer, An Inspiration, Motivator”. These are the real traits that will get you far in life so stop comparing yourself to your manager or your director. You focus on your success, don’t worry what other people say they are or what they’re doing, what you do to progress and enhance your life defines you.

These steps are foundations to help turn your side hustle into your everyday hustle. It will take hard work, but trust me it will be sweeter than any promotion given to you by someone else, because you will have done it yourself.

How do you manage your side hustle while working a day job? Leave your thoughts below!

Chris Targett all about helping people to help themselves through blog posts and online services. He helps people find accountability partners and is a co-founder of Accountability Buddy, where people can find an accountability partner for free.

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Success Advice

Why One-Size-Fits-All Leadership Will Always Fail (and What Works Instead)

The surprising truth about leadership styles that can make or break your team’s success.

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Why one-size-fits-all leadership doesn’t work
Image Credit: Midjourney

Leadership has always been as much about people as it is about performance. Ken Blanchard, in his influential book, “The One Minute Manager”, put it simply: different strokes for different folks. (more…)

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Success Advice

What Every New CEO Must Do in Their First 100 Days (or Risk Failure)

Your first 100 days as CEO could define your entire legacy, here’s how to make every move count

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leadership tips for new CEO
Image Credit: Midjourney

When Tim Cook took over from Steve Jobs at Apple, the world watched with bated breath. Jobs wasn’t just a CEO; he was a visionary, an icon, and a legend of innovative leadership. (more…)

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Entrepreneurs

The Leadership Shift Every Company Needs in 2025

Struggling to keep your team engaged? Here’s how leaders can turn frustrated employees into loyal advocates.

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Bridging the gap between employees and employers
Image Credit: Midjourney

In workplaces around the world, there’s a growing gap between employers and employees and between superiors and their teams. It’s a common refrain: “People don’t leave companies, they leave bad bosses.”

While there are, of course, cases where management could do better, this isn’t just a “bad boss” problem. The relationship between leaders and employees is complex. Instead of assigning blame, we should explore practical solutions to build stronger, healthier workplaces where everyone thrives.

Why This Gap Exists

Every workplace needs someone to guide, supervise, and provide feedback. That’s essential for productivity and performance. But because there are usually far more employees than managers, dissatisfaction, fair or not, spreads quickly.

What if, instead of focusing on blame, we focused on building trust, empathy, and communication? This is where modern leadership and human-centered management can make a difference.

Tools and Techniques to Bridge the Gap

Here are proven strategies leaders and employees can use to foster stronger relationships and create a workplace where people actually want to stay.

1. Practice Mutual Empathy

Both managers and employees need to recognize they are ultimately on the same team. Leaders have to balance people and performance, and often face intense pressure to hit targets. Employees who understand this reality are more likely to cooperate and problem-solve collaboratively.

2. Maintain Professional Boundaries

Superiors should separate personal issues from professional decision-making. Consistency, fairness, and integrity build trust, and trust is the foundation of a motivated team.

3. Follow the Golden Rule

Treat people how you would like to be treated. This simple principle encourages compassion and respect, two qualities every effective leader must demonstrate.

4. Avoid Micromanagement

Micromanaging stifles creativity and damages morale. Great leaders see themselves as partners, not just bosses, and treat their teams as collaborators working toward a shared goal.

5. Empower Employees to Grow

Empowerment means giving employees responsibility that matches their capacity, and then trusting them to deliver. Encourage them to take calculated risks, learn from mistakes, and problem-solve independently. If something goes wrong, turn it into a learning opportunity, not a reprimand.

6. Communicate in All Directions

Communication shouldn’t just be top-down. Invite feedback, create open channels for suggestions, and genuinely listen to what your people have to say. Healthy upward communication closes gaps before they become conflicts.

7. Overcome Insecurities

Many leaders secretly fear being outshone by younger, more tech-savvy employees. Instead of resisting, embrace the chance to learn from them. Humility earns respect and helps the team innovate faster.

8. Invest in Coaching and Mentorship

True leaders grow other leaders. Provide mentorship, career guidance, and stretch opportunities so employees can develop new skills. Leadership is learned through experience, but guided experience is even more powerful.

9. Eliminate Favoritism

Avoid cliques and office politics. Decisions should be based on facts and fairness, not gossip. Objective, transparent decision-making builds credibility.

10. Recognize Efforts Promptly

Recognition often matters more than rewards. Publicly appreciate employees’ contributions and do so consistently and fairly. A timely “thank you” can be more motivating than a quarterly bonus.

11. Conduct Thoughtful Exit Interviews

When employees leave, treat it as an opportunity to learn. Keep interviews confidential and use the insights to improve management practices and culture.

12. Provide Leadership Development

Train managers to lead, not just supervise. Leadership development programs help shift mindsets from “command and control” to “coach and empower.” This transformation has a direct impact on morale and retention.

13. Adopt Soft Leadership Principles

Today’s workforce, largely millennials and Gen Z, value collaboration over hierarchy. Soft leadership focuses on partnership, mutual respect, and shared purpose, rather than rigid top-down control.

The Bigger Picture: HR’s Role

Mercer’s global research highlights five key priorities for organizations:

  • Build diverse talent pipelines

  • Embrace flexible work models

  • Design compelling career paths

  • Simplify HR processes

  • Redefine the value HR brings

The challenge? Employers and employees often view these priorities differently. Bridging that perception gap is just as important as bridging the relational gap between leaders and staff.

Treat Employees Like Associates, Not Just Staff

When you treat employees like partners, they bring their best selves to work. HR leaders must develop strategies to keep talent engaged, empowered, and prepared for the future.

Organizational success starts with people, always. Build the relationship with your team first, and the results will follow.

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Entrepreneurs

What Makes an Entrepreneurial Leader? Traits of the World’s Best Innovators

Inside the mindset of entrepreneurial leaders who transform risk, passion, and vision into world-changing results.

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entrepreneurial leadership skills and traits
Image Credit: Midjourney

When you think of Richard Branson (Virgin Group), Bill Gates (Microsoft), Steve Jobs (Apple), Rupert Murdoch (News Corporation), and Ted Turner (CNN), one thing becomes clear: they are not just entrepreneurs, they are entrepreneurial leaders. (more…)

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