Know What NOT to Sacrifice to Be a Part-time Entrepreneur


Recently I received a kind invitation through LinkedIn to connect with Cristian Dorobantescu. Of course, I appreciated the invitation very much, and when the invitation noted that he wrote a blog on entrepreneurship, naturally I visited his blog.

I receive quite a number of unsolicited LinkedIn requests and do not accept all. I avoid the ones that are from “professional networkers” — you know, the people who have 3,782 of their closest friends as LinkedIn connections. I figure they have enough friends and don’t need any more. 🙂

Very likely if Cristian had not included his blog address on there for me to see, I might not have followed up on the invitation. But being able to visit the blog, I am able to size up the person quickly and decide whether to accept the connection (it’s one of the beauties of a blog).

It turns out that Cristian is employed by a large company in Romania, but also runs his own startup on the side. And his blog talks about being a technology entrepreneur on the side.

I was particularly struck by his series of two recent articles on being a part-time entrepreneur. He approaches it from two sides: five reasons to be be a part-time entrepreneur and another five reasons NOT to be a side entrepreneur.

For instance, as to the reasons for not being a side entrepreneur, he writes:

“5 reasons not to be a part time entrepreneur

… and probably not being an entrepreneur at all

– Evenings and weekends are just for fun
– You need a boss to tell you what to do
– Working long hours at your current job that you love so much
– Friends and family are more important
– You just want to be like everybody else and nothing more “

I would like to add a comment to this list. Cristian goes on to explain about the family and friends point that if you have children, for instance, they need you. Working a full-time job and running a side business may not be the smartest thing to do when children are young. For all things there is a season, and starting a part-time business requires sacrifices. Sacrificing the family at the time they need you the most is not the right thing to do.

I am all for side businesses. However, you need to go into them with your eyes open. It is tough enough to be an entrepreneur when your startup is your full-time gig. It’s even harder to do on the side, after a full-day at work. Starting a side business cuts down your financial risk, that’s true, but it also cuts down your available time for family, hobbies, church and other activities. It requires trade-offs — make sure you are prepared to make them.

Be sure to also read Cristian’s post on 5 Reasons to Take the Part Time Entrepreneurship Path.

7 Comments ▼

Anita Campbell Anita Campbell is the Founder, CEO and Publisher of Small Business Trends and has been following trends in small businesses since 2003. She is the owner of BizSugar, a social media site for small businesses.

7 Reactions
  1. I think this a great post for invdividuals who are in the middle of the fence on this subject. Those are all points to consider if you want to be a successful part time entrepreneur. You have to know why you are doing what you’re doing to keep yourself going when you are fighting for market share over Young, restless, and full time entrepreneurs.

  2. Trend Junkie and Eric, thanks for continuing the conversation.

    Yes, I think Christian raised some excellent points and I felt they made sense to comment on.

    A startup is a jealous lover and expects a lot of attention. Most people who have never been in a startup have no clue as to the number of hours it takes to get a new business going.

    Best,
    Anita

  3. If you have to assess what NOT to sacrifice, to be a part-time entrepreneur, then being any type of entrepreneur may not be for you. I don’t want to down play the importance of priority management, but at the same time, a critical determinant of your success as an entrepreneur is predicated on your ability to intuitively understand your priorities. We all make sacrifices. Even when working for someone else there are sacrifices that must be made. Is the real question not about sacrifices but about who is influencing those sacrifices?

  4. Being an entrepreneur is more of an internal drive than a practical decision for me. I spend many extra hours researching, writing, and developing my side businesses. My side jobs are now a part of who I am as a person and everything relates to them.

    I even treat my 9-5 job like a small business in that I try try to fulfill business needs and be innovative in the approach I take to my job. I am becoming more of an entrepreneur every day and whether or not I am successful does not diminish that drive. I only hope that my full-time job will hold out until my part-time jobs can replace or exceed the income.

  5. Hi Anita,

    And thank you for posting this review on my articles about part time entrepreneurship. It’s very nice to see that my thoughts and ideas turn into useful content for our readers. I also have to agree with the comments above, as being a part time entrepreneur it becomes part of my personality and social life. This is who I am, a part time entrepreneur.
    You might want to also read some of my earlier articles on part time entrepreneurship here: http://www.energybyte.com/blogs/index.php?title=entrepreneurship_as_a_part_time_job&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1
    http://www.energybyte.com/blogs/index.php?title=entrepreneurship_as_a_part_time_job_part_2&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1

    Thanks,
    Cristian Dorobantescu