Six tips for making a part-time consulting business work for you

by Melanie K

A lot of advice that you will hear about transitioning into full-time self employment includes running your small business part-time for a while. This is particularly easy to do if you are providing a service (research, writing, consulting) that you can run out of your home on evenings and weekends. There are pros and cons to doing this, and after running part-time for two years now, I thought that I would share some strategies to help other women in business achieve success and maintain some sanity!


1) Look for sub-contracts. Project management is time consuming and very it's difficult to do a good job when are committed the rest of the time with a regular job or family responsibilities. A sub-contract leaves the heavy lifting to some one else while you work on a smaller piece of the project.

2) Look for short contracts. You could be working any where from 10 to 20 hours a week on top of your regular work week. Doing this from months on end will cause you to burnout and become ineffective in both your day job and your small business. Avoid contracts that are more than a couple of months in duration and give yourself a few weeks between contracts to recuperate. It's better to be upfront at the outset to that their expectations will be adjusted accordingly.

3) Be transparent with clients. When I discuss taking on a project with a client, I make sure they understand that I'm a part-time business. They must know that you are doing the majority of the work and email correspondence on evenings and weekends and that in- person meetings and phone calls need to be scheduled ahead of time so that you can fit them into your work schedule.

4) Negotiate flexible work arrangements with your employer. It helps a lot if you have an employer who is flexible about your work schedule. In a salaried position, you can try to negotiate a self-funded leave with your employer. This is where you give up 5 - 10% of your salary for additional time off work every year that can be used for your business. In times of economic slow down, this might be easier to do, since your employer can still keep you and save some money. Before you do this, though, see what impacts it may have on your pension and extended health benefits.

5) Remember, you are working to live. Taking time each week to socialize, exercise, and relax is very important to avoid burnout. Schedule time once a week to meet a friend for lunch or coffee, and reserve at least one week night when you don't work at all. Limit your total hours on the weekend and holidays. At the end of each contract use some of your extra earnings to spoil yourself and your loved ones with a holiday because you all deserve it!

6) Keep improving the business. Even if you don't have a contract going, do other things to bring your business along. Take business courses, network, manage your finances, work on marketing projects, read books. All these things will contribute to your success when you finally launch into full-time self-employment.

Follow any or all these strategies and you will be more successful at running your part-time business! After a couple of contracts you will feel great about the future and about planning your transition to self-employment!

Women in business:What strategies have you used to manage your part-time pursuits?