When most people consider freelancing they have one major setback. Unless they’re independently wealthy or are living off savings, they’ll likely have a full-time job.
Naturally, that poses problems because it’s probably something they want need to keep for now but equally, it means that they’re also left with limited time.
So, if you’re reading this during your lunch break or in between endless client meetings and want to escape the rat race, then this post is for you.
I’m going to show you how to start a dental writing business with limited time when you already have a full-time job.
So let’s get started.
Step #1 – You’ve gotta make time
If you want to build a dental writing business that will give you the lifestyle you want and eventually get you out of the 9-5 grind, you’ll need to make time to do it.
That’s not to say that you need to give up on sleep or avoid spending time with loved ones, but you should expect to set aside some time to get your business off the ground.
So how much time is that?
Everyone’s circumstances are different so there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. However, if we’re being honest with ourselves, we all have some time during the week to spare.
This could be a time that you normally spend slumped in from of the TV of an evening, or it might be that couple of hours after the kids have gone to bed. Alternatively, it may be weekends only. The key point here is to recognise what time you can realistically spare, write it down somewhere prominent and commit to devoting that time to your content writing business.
It may be an hour a night and several hours on weekends. It doesn’t matter. The key thing is that it gives you something to work with.
That’s step one of how to start a dental writing business with limited time.
The next step has more to do with perception and it’s this…
Step #2 Treat it like a proper business
It’s all too easy when you don’t have full-time availability to perceive freelancing as a side hustle. The problem is that if you treat it as such, it’s all too easy to throw in the towel when distractions get in the way.
Alternatively, if you treat it like a business from day one, you’re more likely to commit to it for the long term. Once you make a solid commitment and work on your business every day – good things will happen.
This brings us nicely to our next step:
Step #3 – Remain consistent
If you’ve read my recent post you’ll know that inconsistency is something that I’ve struggled with in the past and it kind of held my business back for a while. The reality is that if you take steps to grow your business every day, it’s far better than doing something one week and not doing it the next.
Ideally, when you’re short on hours, you need to be as consistent as possible with the time you have as this will form the foundations of your dental content writing business.
So, commit to building solid habits like expanding your content portfolio, writing letters of introduction and marketing yourself every week, and you’re going to be in far better shape in the long run.
Now, that you’ve freed up time and made a commitment to consistently work on your business, here’s the next stage of the process:
Step #4 – Draw up a schedule
Let’s face it, we’re all guilty of wasting time. But when that time is limited, you don’t have time to waste, so it pays to hit the ground running. The moment you’re sat at your laptop or desk you need to be ready to rock and roll.
Ultimately, you don’t want to be spending time immersed in tasks that aren’t important. So, ask yourself if the task you’re doing right now is likely to result in bringing in business directly.
If the answer is no, then park it on the back burner in favour of tasks that will make the biggest impact.
This includes tasks like sending out letters of introduction, applying for projects on job boards and creating a portfolio of work. These are the best and quickest ways to start landing work.
So, draw yourself up a list or timetable of key stuff you want to achieve by the end of the week.
This may include:
- Sending 20 letters of introduction
- Connecting with 10 dental businesses on LinkedIn
- Searching relevant job boards
- Updating your portfolio
Then start fitting it into the time you have available.
As a tip, larger tasks like building your contact list should be broken up into smaller parts and spread over several days so they don’t appear quite so daunting. Meanwhile, quick tasks like checking job boards can be slotted in around them to make the most of your time.
Here’s an example:
Monday – Create an email template for a letter of introduction. Scan job boards
Tuesday – Locate 5 dental businesses, get their contact information and email out letters of introduction. A quick scan of job boards
Wednesday – Repeat tasks as above
Thursday – Repeat tasks as above
Friday – Repeat tasks as above
Before you know it, you’ve made contact with 20 potential clients and it hasn’t taken up too much of your time.
This still leaves you whatever time you have over the weekend to carry out other tasks like creating new content for your portfolio, growing your contact list and marketing on social media.
That’s how to start a dental writing business while also holding down a full-time job.
Whatever you do, the key is to not overwhelm yourself. If you don’t achieve everything you’ve set yourself to do, you’re more likely to give up before you get started. So keep it real and more importantly, make sure it’s achievable within a given timeframe.
This brings us nicely to point five:
Step #5 Set realistic expectations
If you know anything about me, you’ll know that I’m not the greatest at achieving a ton of stuff within a given timeframe. You could say that I’m more of a tortoise than a hare. However, I recognise that and as such, I try not set myself unrealistic expectations.
There’s nothing worse than coming to the end of the week and realising that you haven’t achieved half of what you set out to do. Not only is it incredibly frustrating but it’s a sure-fire way of setting yourself up for failure.
Setting realistic expectations is even more pertinent when time is limited, so here’s what I do.
I write myself two weekly lists:
The first are tasks that I must achieve
The other are tasks that are nice to achieve.
The latter aren’t a priority so I don’t beat myself up if I don’t achieve them. However the former are always done without fail. That way, when I get to the end of the week, I know the ‘important stuff’ like client-facing work has already been done, and if I achieve some of the latter, then that’s a real bonus!
So there you have it, how to start a dental writing business when you already have a job.
The key takeaway in all of this is to:
- Set aside time every week
- Commit to using that time to work on your business
- Get laser-focused on the tasks you need to achieve within the time you have and
- Set yourself realistic expectations.
Do these things and you will start to grow your business while holding down a full-time job.
If you’re unsure whether a dental content writing business is for you, or you don’t know where to start, I’ve got you covered.
Go over to my Dental Writers Club website, download my free guide and join me in helping you build your first freelancing business and earn money online.
Here’s to your success!