Moonlighting Can Be Bridge To New Career
Do you ever dream of parlaying your business expertise into a consulting practice? Or turning an avocation into a sideline business that ultimately could lead to full-time work?
As businesses continue to downsize, a growing number of Americans are seizing control of their futures by developing small businesses while they are still drawing steady paychecks. For many professionals, moonlighting provides an insurance policy against being caught off-guard in the next restructuring.
“People want to be in charge of their own destinies,” says Robin Sheerer, president of Career Enterprises Inc., in Chicago.
“Many people decide to get into consulting because they know they’ll be outplaced - eventually,” says Alex Schibanoff, executive director of The Consultants Bureau, a trade association in New Brunswick, N.J. “We recommend moonlighting as an effective way to make the transition.”
A cautionary note: Whether you are a staff accountant consulting for private clients or a nurse baking pies for restaurants, it’s imperative to keep your two business lives separate. While some employers applaud workers who moonlight - in some cases it’s believed to increase creativity that can boost productivity - most feel these workers are shortchanging them. So “do not voluntarily tell your employer you’re moonlighting,” Schibanoff advises. “The message you’re sending is, ‘I’m about to jump ship.’ But if you’re asked about your side consulting or business, then tell your boss the truth.”
Here’s how two Chicago women made the transition from employee to moonlighter to business owner:
Velena Miller, 39, owner of Different Paths, a career consulting and corporate training firm in Hinsdale, Ill.: In 1994, after years of helping friends conduct job searches, Miller, formerly a program coordinator for a social service agency in Chicago, decided she had the makings of a second career.
She got referrals through contacts at the Chicago Chapter of the American Society of Training and Development. Ultimately she landed consulting assignments with several adult education and women’s advocacy organizations. “I did training and career coaching in the evening and on weekends,” she says. In September, after juggling her job and her growing consulting practice, Miller launched Different Paths full time.
“If you want to moonlight, set small goals, visualize where you want to be, volunteer for an industry organization to meet new people in your field and ask questions.” As for knowing when it’s time to go it alone, Miller recommends paying attention to your energy level. “If you feel like you’re just going through the motions until you can get to your other job, you’re ready to be on your own. There’s never a perfect time to do it. But expect to succeed and believe in yourself.”
Gail Eisner, 34, owner of Pumpkin Moon, an Oak Park, Ill., gift store specializing in vintage home accessories: Though sewing has been her lifelong hobby, it wasn’t until Eisner consulted a career coach that she started dreaming of parlaying it into a business. “I always enjoyed making things - especially decorative pillows, using vintage fabrics and trim,” says Eisner, formerly a broadcast production coordinator at a Chicago advertising agency. She decided to start small, investing $500 in fabric and $10 in business cards. Nights and weekends she sold pillows to family, friends and consignment shops.
Within six months, Eisner had a steady stream of orders and had difficulty keeping up with the demand. What’s more, she was frustrated at her day job. “I realized that it would be scarier to stay at the agency than it would be to follow my dream,” she says. But before taking the plunge into self-employment, Eisner enrolled in classes at The Women’s Business Development Center to learn about business plans and market research. In September, as she was preparing to quit her job, Eisner got laid off in a restructuring. “Obviously my timing was right,” says Eisner, who opened Pumpkin Moon in October. “I’m glad I was prepared.”
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