Could your bread-baking hobby turn into a side business? Glenn Muske tells you how to think it through. Photo by Becky McCray.
Opening and operating a business on the side occurs for lots of reasons.
Some side businesses are operated by individuals who already own one business. Yet for others it means starting a business while working another job.
A third category are people who have an idea for a business. They may not have another job; however, they do have other commitments, but they have a desire to start a side business. Some may consider this a part-time business, but it is much like the sideline business.
Common in each of these scenarios is a desire to develop another income source. It also brings experience before one takes the plunge completely.
Key in the owner’s decision should be filling the consumer’s need, solving a problem or improving the quality of life. If the owner is serious about generating income, he or she must know what the audience wants and what customers are willing to pay.
The owner also must have done some homework to know if the pricing structure will indeed provide a profit and pay for the time involved.
In addition to generating additional income, starting a sideline business has other advantages.
First, it allows people to try out a new idea while minimizing risk.
Second, the sideline business might be a nice complement to the existing business or it may fit into what is a quiet time in the business cycle. Think of the lawn mowing business that starts a winter snow removal business, a spring cleanup business and a fall leaf-removal business. These are complementary businesses that fit together into services that can be sold individually or in a package.
However, sideline businesses can be completely unrelated to what else the person does. That’s the banker who bakes bread on the weekends.
A third advantage is the owner, when setting prices, has some flexibility in what he or she must charge for his or her labor. Discounting is possible for these additional hours spent on the new business. But this must be done carefully after thinking about long-term ramifications. Setting prices too low creates unrealistic expectations among customers. Think how difficult it would be to raise prices if you should make this your full time effort.
Starting out as a sideline business also allows you to do more testing than what you might otherwise do if you are depending on the business as your primary income source. Not only can you test product and services, you also can test the mix of the two, along with pricing structures, packaging and many other aspects.
In addition, a sideline business allows you to test yourself to determine if you have what it takes to start a business or if you need to look for some additional expertise, such as an employee or a consultant, or maybe just a mentor.
Finally, opening first as a sideline business allows you to work out the kinks. Thus when, and if, you decide to take the opportunity further, you have made some of the basic mistakes already.
No matter what your situation is, opening a business on the side is a great way to get started. It increases your odds of success and manages your risk.
Glenn Muske is the Rural and Agribusiness Enterprise Development Specialist at the North Dakota State University Extension Service – Center for Community Vitality. Follow Glenn on Twitter: @gmuske
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Glenn Muske is an independent expert on rural small business, working as GM Consulting – Your partner in achieving small business success. He provides consulting, and writes articles for county extension agents and newspapers across North Dakota. Previously, he was the Rural and Agribusiness Enterprise Development Specialist at the North Dakota State University Extension Service – Center for Community Vitality.
I have seen lots of people make it big in the side business thing. That’s because some businesses can run on autopilot. From here, it is just a matter of finding another way to make some money.
Or sometimes that side business real hits what a group of consumers wants. Then you have a tough decision. Appreciate your sharing Ivan.
Alphine Mapa, sent in her comment via our contact form:
I agree! I’ve been doing side line business for 7 months now by selling instant gourmet coffee. My role is direct sales representative. I opened up my own Facebook and Instagram shop for it and it’s doing well. Though there are times that I failed but I learn from my mistakes so that gives me more motivation to reach my goals and it challenges me to do better in sales and marketing. :)