The following is a guest post by Sally Shaws. If you would like to write for this blog, please check out the guidelines here.
No business is ever instant. If you want to make a living at something other than being employed by someone else, you have to carve out your own success. This takes time and hard work. But you knew that already.
It’s a fundamental truism of working for yourself that you never put all your eggs in one basket. Keeping this rule can be difficult when ideas prove to be bigger than you first thought, or if your point of entry into your chosen market place is low and you find yourself competing for low-paid gigs.
There will inevitably be times when work is scarce, so how do you plug gaps between payments?
A Second Job
Having a second job adds some stability to the situation. Just knowing you can pay your rent no matter how your primary business performs can really free you up to go for quality business.
Having a second job can sometimes bring more problems than it solves. Dividing your brain between two situations – even if your secondary situation is fairly menial – can reduce your productivity, causing your primary business to suffer.
When I was a student, I met many artists who were waiting tables to supplement their incomes. Agreements with management were always loose, and while they might have agreed to work 25 hours a week, they would often find themselves working 40, or 50 hours, leaving themselves no time or energy to work on their primary business. They got distracted and fell into the trap of making their secondary job their primary income. How? By not considering the next point.
Discipline
If you take a second job, be disciplined. Divide your working week into three sections:
Time for your primary job – this should take up a significant amount of your week.
Time for your secondary job – this should bring in enough money without taking time away from your primary job; your future.
Time for yourself – this is extremely important. Don’t neglect yourself and your family, if you have one. You need some time off to recuperate, even if it’s only one day a week. Making sure you have one designated day off brings structure to your week.
Plan Ahead
If you can only work for twenty hours a week, state that from day one. When I was building up my writing business, I made sure my part time employer knew that I would only be available for 24 hours a week and never on a Sunday. This allowed me to keep my week structured, my income steady and stop me going in to melt down during busy periods. It also made sure I didn’t starve when there were dry patches.
Other Options
If there are no second jobs available in your locale, or what is available simply doesn’t suit your needs, you might consider participating in paid medical trials like those run by GSK. A friend of mine did this to earn extra money to travel. It’s certainly not for all, but he got to travel to around south-east Asia for several months.
Why Might this Be a Good Idea?
Simply because you can make up to 2,000 pounds, dollars, or Euros (depending on your location), for lying in bed for two weeks and swallowing a couple of pills when told. Volunteers can participate in up to four trials a year – that’s eight grand for eight weeks of your working year. Consider that most low-paid part time jobs will pay you around that amount for part-time hours across about 50 weeks a year and occupy much more of your time.
How Does It Work?
Drug companies have to put every new drug they create through rigorous testing to prove its safety and effectiveness before bringing it to market. Certain drug trials require healthy participants and they will pay for your time.
If you are accepted as a volunteer, you’ll be sent a list of trials that you’re eligible to participate. You simply choose the ones that suit your schedule and return the form. For each trial, there is a consent talk in which you a doctor will run through the trial and what it’s testing for. You’ll learn about the protocols – what you have to do – and you’ll learn about the risks. Of course you can ask questions and its worthwhile preparing questions before you attend. If you wish to continue, you’ll be obliged to give consent. Once you’ve done that, you’re ready to go.
Is It Safe?
Clinical trials in Europe and the U.S. are governed by laws and if you choose to participate, you should sign up with one of the larger companies. Why? Because they are more prominent and therefore can’t afford to be conducting their drugs trials outside legislated protocols.
There is the potential for unexpected side effects, however, if you do experience any consider that you’re in the best place to receive treatment for those side-effects. And you can leave at any time.
The Road to Success
It’s absolutely possible to take a business of any kind from nothing to “successful”. How you define success is up to you. Some roads may be longer than others, but the most important thing is that you keep your goal central. However you decide to supplement your income, remember that those part-time jobs are never forever.
About the Author:
Sally Shaws is a freelance writer who also regularly blogs about ways to boost your income and earning extra money online. She writes about all sorts of things including flogging your stuff on eBay, earning cash through volunteering for medical trials and renting out your car to other drivers for income.











