Side Hustle or Full-Time Business: Pros and Cons

Do you dream of giving up your job and being your own boss? Making the jump from employee to entrepreneur and business owner can prove daunting, as well as rewarding.

Some people find getting a ‘happy balance’ by remaining in employment but embarking on a side hustle. As a result, they run their own business on the side while working full time. Others want the challenge and rewards of running their own full-time business.

Side Hustle or Full-Time Business

If you’re deliberating whether to start a side hustle or full-time business venture, take a look at the following pros and cons of side hustles and full-time businesses to help you decide.

Side Hustle Pros

Diversify Your Business

You might already run a business and are thinking about starting a side business. Side hustles can be the perfect way to diversify your business. By varying its range of products or services, you can increase the profitability of the business.

One example of a business embarking on a side hustle is the multinational furniture retailer, IKEA. In 2017, IKEA announced it was considering opening a chain of standalone restaurants.

Peace of Mind

We can never be sure that any kind of business will be successful. By starting a side hustle and remaining in employment, you can have peace of mind that if your business doesn’t work out, you’ll still have work and be generating an income.

Give You a Competitive Advantage in Your Career

Starting a business requires you to learn new skills. Such skills can be used to develop your own career and give you a competitive advantage.

Nurture Creativity

Starting a side hustle can be the perfect way to unleashing the creativity inside you.

Be a Better Problem Solver

No-one said running a small business wasn’t without its problems. Starting any kind of side hustle is bound to create some kind of problems. By overcoming such problems, you’ll become a better problem solver, something you can use to help you in your career and on a personal level.

Side Hustle Cons

Your Employer Might Not Approve

Not all employers approve of their employees starting any side business and might even put an outright prohibition on side hustle ventures, as they want their employees’ full attention. Your employer’s views on side hustles should therefore be considered before starting your venture.

Assignment of Intellectual Property

Companies that create significant amounts of intellectual property might require their employees to sign an agreement that states intellectual property produced while you are employed at their company is owned by the employer. Again, this is something to consider before you devote time, energy and resources into creating an invention.

Insufficient Time to Devote to the Side Hustle

Being employed and operating a business on the side might not leave you with much spare time to spend with family and friends. Juggling the two will also mean you will have less time to dedicate to getting your side hustle up and running and thriving.

Little Down Time

Working in a job and running a side business naturally requires a lot of time, energy and commitment, meaning you aren’t left with any down time.

You Neglect Your Regular Job

Spending time and energy on your side hustle could result in your neglecting your regular job.

Full-Time Business Pros

You’ll Have the Time to Devote to Your Business

Without having a ‘job’ to go to, you’ll have the time and energy to put into really making a go of your full-time business.

You Have Faith in Your Venture

By quitting your job, you are telling yourself that you know your business idea can and will work.

Build Confidence

Without having to go to a ‘9 to 5’ job, running a business full-time can help build confidence, self-esteem and help you develop both professionally and personally.

Better Work/Life Balance

You might be managing a business on a full-time scale, but by being your own boss all the time, you can enjoy a greater amount of flexibility, which can improve your work/life balance.

You’ll Experience a Steeper Learning Curve

Plunging straight into a full-time business will put you onto a steep learning curve about the complex world of entrepreneurship. Being forced to learn the skills of running a business from the offset, is likely to make your stronger and more proficient in business.

Full-Time Business Cons

No ‘Plan B’ to fall back on

Of course, not all business ventures work. By putting ‘all your eggs in one basket’ and quitting your job, you won’t have anything in terms of work and income to fall back on if your venture isn’t as successful as you hope it will be.

Harder to Walk Away From

If you’re working on your business 24/7, it can be more difficult to walk away from if the business isn’t going the way you want it to.

Too Much Pressure

From paying employees to marketing your business and sorting out admin duties, running a business full-time can be stressful and could put a lot of pressure on you to be profitable.

Less Time to Learn Essential Skills

By diving into a business full-time, you’ll have less time to pick up and learn those essential business skills compared to if you were running a business as a part-time venture.