I am often asked, how in the world did I manage running and building Details and Swirls while working my corporate job in accounting? This is not the simplest question to answer, but I do have three main takeaways that allowed me to succeed in building my business alongside working my corporate job!

1 – Setting aside set “work hours to work on my business”

I set aside “work hours” I spent working on Details and Swirls during the week, and incorporated this into my weekly schedule. For me this looked like a couple hours M-F before work devoted to computer tasks like emails, contracts, listing new products, writing instagram captions, etc. In the evenings I set aside a few hours to predominantly focus on orders and products. This included fulfilling orders, writing, shipping, ordering supplies, etc. Each day consisted of around 3-4 hours set aside for Details and Swirls work between the mornings and evenings, and the weekends I worked fully on Details and Swirls.

2 – Set expectations with the people in your life

WE CANNOT DO IT ALL! We cannot be a 9-5 professional, be the best wife, be the best mom, be the best friend, be the best homemaker, and be the best business owner, all at the same time. It is physically impossible! Clear expectations need to be set where our responsibilities lie during this season of life of growing and building our business. 

My husband is my greatest supporter and biggest cheerleader, from day one he pushed me to follow my passion and devote time and energy into building my business. Joey did all of the grocery shopping, cooking, and basically all of the household responsibilities for a solid year when I was getting my business up and running. Normally our share in taking on household responsibilities is split, so he helped a great amount in putting more of his own time in to cover all of these responsibilities while I spent time focusing on my business. Now I’m not saying you need to have a partner to take on all of your responsibilities while you build your business. But what I am saying is you need a plan for yourself and the people in your life so they know what to expect from you, and you know what to prioritize. 

3 – Treating my business as if I worked full time

While you may be running a “side” business, you need to treat your side business as if it is your full time business! I used to say I run Details and Swirls and also happen to work a 9-5 corporate job. Do not diminish the time and effort you are putting into growing your business and shrug it off as a “side” business. The minute you start taking your business seriously is the minute the people around you, and your customers and community also start to view your business as a legitimate business and not a side business!

Thank you to ShipStation for sponsoring today’s episode of The Detailed Diary Podcast! Click here for you 30-day free trial, and click here to read more about why I LOVE ShipStation!!