3 Keys to Starting a Successful Online Business While Still Working the 9 to 5

For many of us, starting our own business is the pinnacle of the American dream. Some people just have that entrepreneurial spirit, that je ne sais quoi that drives us to carve out our own destiny.

But in the real world, there are bills to pay. There's rent, car payments, utilities, and of course, groceries. If you have kids, that's a whole extra set of financial costs.

So we can't always quit our jobs one day out of the blue, then focus 100% on starting a business.

But the good news is, you don't have to. You can work a typical nine to five job, while still creating a thriving online business on the side. One of the greatest things about the Internet is that you can access it from anywhere. You don't need a physical office or dedicated staff, and the startup costs can be minimal.

Options like dropshipping and affiliate marketing create lucrative opportunities for 9 to 5 workers to start building something that will generate income well into the future, without giving up the stability of a reliable salary.

But where will you find the time? Between raising a family (if you've settled down), working a regular office job, having a social life, and everything else, where can you fit in the time to work on your online business?

The online business gurus at ShoeMoney have some great solutions for this. They've listed ten simple ways that you can find time in your busy day to focus on your business, whether you're doing research via blogs or podcasts, or actively creating content and promoting your site.

Here are three of their best tips for weaving your side project into your busy day.

Replacing Television Time (Couch Potato Time)

Look, I get it. They have all kinds of shows on television, Netflix, Hulu, etc and you just don’t want to miss the latest episode.

You may be excited about:

-The latest Flash, Supergirl, Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow crossover
-The Gilmore Girls revival
-The Walking Dead

Whatever shows keep you glued to the television, computer, or tablet, this is time away from building your business and pursuing your dreams.

So you have to make sacrifices. These are small sacrifices for your long term goals.

Does that mean you can never watch TV ever again?

Absolutely not.

It just means you could sacrifice more in the beginning.

Before You Fall Asleep

At this time, you may be exhausted and ready to call it a night, but you could do just a little more. Couldn’t you?

You could:

-Take a moment and review your progress for the day
-Read a few pages of a book
-Think about all the things you are grateful for
-Think about how you will rock the next 24 hours

During Lunch Breaks

Depending on the amount of time you have for lunch breaks, you may be able to squeeze in some time for online business. You could pack small snacks to carry you through the day. Then use your lunch time for business.

Or you could even split your lunch time so you can eat something quick and then knock out some quick business tasks.

You just have to figure out what works best for you.

We just covered 3 ways to find time for online business. It’s not always easy but it’s worth it. A little sacrifice here and there could add up to some amazing results for your business.

At the end of the day, you have 24 hours to make the most of it. Think about that at the beginning and the end of your day.

It doesn’t have to be perfect and maybe it will take time to improve, but this is a great start. Try some (or all) of these tips and see what works for you.

The full article over at ShoeMoney has even more clever ways to turn routine activities into valuable time spent building your business.