Employee secrets to managing side hustles

Running a side business along the office work has become a popular venture for many salaried employees. Many financial advisers offer the side hustle as the answer to increase one’s income and a future exit plan from formal employment.

However, the reality is, balancing the two is not that simple. A side job is as demanding as a full-time job especially when the returns on investment start to show.
The question, therefore, is how do you successfully manage a side hustle and still perform as expected at the office?  

Mr Wakibu Bunnya, a team leader at Open Space Centre, a non-governmental organisation who also runs a real estate business on the side, says it is difficult trying to juggle full-time employment and the side job.  

 “I have discovered that I need to have two personalities to handle both smoothly. For instance, I work with informal people in my side hustle (side job) who do not expect me to show up in a suit. When they see you all dressed up, they perceived you differently yet my office job requires an office look. It is inconveniencing having to always have this outfit dilemma at the back of your mind,” says Bunnya.

Mr Bunnya started his side job while at university. He says, by virtue of his profession, he ventured into real estate business, which he has sustained to date.
 “Professionally I studied land surveying from Makerere University. So, I am a land surveyor on the side as I attend to the office job,” he says.

Proper planning
According to Mr Bunnya, successfully juggling a side job and office work is mainly about proper planning.  Fortunately, his employer is flexible, allowing him time to attend to the real estate business.
To others, managing a side business is further complicated by employers who need their total attention.

Sometimes, the mere mention of a side job to an employer can result in being sidelined at work over fear of not being productive.
“Sometimes, it appears to them as if you are not giving 100 per cent to the office work. So, I have to do my best at all times to eliminate the bias,” Mr Bunnya says.

Quality staffing
Ms Pamela Bayenda, an employee at Uganda Breweries, also runs a side job over the weekends.  She advises employees interested in running a side hustle to assemble a capable team that can work under minimum supervision to limit their involvement to after work hours and weekends.

“To have a successful side job, it should offer you flexibility to juggle the two. Also, venturing into side jobs that you understand very well is key to a successful venture,” she says.

Mr Harunah Kiyemba Kisirinya and Ms Rita Ocen stress the importance of choosing a side hustle one is passionate about.

Mr Kiyemba adds: “Passion enables you to manoeuver even in difficulties, for instance, I can identify a goat that is sick, before anyone else finds out because of my keen interest in farming.”

Mr Kiyemba, an employee at Nation Media Group and has been running a mixed farm in Wakiso District, for three years,  cautions: “Your full-time job should not suffer because of the side hustle.”

He adds that inadaquent information remains a challenge among people who venture into side jobs. He notes having enough information about your business saves you from unwanted expenditure.

Time
Ms Rita Ocen, a gym trainer at Speke Apartments and Vessels Fitness gym at Kensington apartments in Kyanja, says dedicating time to your side job is equally important.

“I am a fitness trainer and it is a full-time job. I start in the morning till evening. In addition to this, I make and sell liquid soap. It is not easy to manage the two. You just have to prioritise by creating time for each because if you try to multi-task, it affects the quality of your productivity,” she says.

Sometimes, getting out of the normal routine is paramount to managing both office work and side jobs. Most people’s work starts at 8 am and ends at 5 pm. Business coaches advise that to ably manage more than one venture, one should adjust their workday  by starting at 6am.

In addition, Mr Ronald Mayanja Omugalanda, a life coach at Ability Explored, advises investing small sums of money, especially for those that are just starting with the side job.

He explains that it helps migitate the risks of a sudden loss of the business in case something does not go well.
He adds that it is also important to treat the side job independently from the full-time job to give room for growth.

“For example, do not borrow a laptop from your full-time job. Let the full-time job buy you a laptop. Your side hustle should be able to support itself,” he says.