“If you treat it like a business, it will pay you like a business. If you treat it like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby.”
I first heard that in the Mary Kay world. It came along with some lessons in scheduling, for building a business on the side around all your other obligations.
Start with a weekly calendar, one that includes hourly markings. Block off your set time commitments, whether work, family, or community. Circle the times you have available for this project, even one hour at a time. Assign work to the circled time blocks, starting with your income producing activities.
The opposite is to treat it like a hobby: to work on it when you feel like, or whenever you find time.
It’s up to you. Do you want a new business, or do you want a hobby?
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Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
I’m a former MK director and I can’t tell you how valuable the teachings of MK have been to me in my life and in my business. I continue to abide by the principles of the remarkable woman who founded that company and I treat my home based business as just that-a business! Thanks you for the reminder to always treat my business like a business!
Leisa, I tell you, I learned a lot. And those lessons keep popping up here!
Hi Becky
To me this is all about commitment, As you say a hobby is something that you do when you want or can etc. A business requires more commitment and you have to develop a relationship with the business for it and you to thrive.
Great point, Darrell. It is commitment and developing a relationship.
Becky,
I see people struggle with this all the time, especially when they are starting up a business that is entirely online.
Since they have not put in a lot of resources (starting online has a low cost of entry) they are inclined to take the business less seriously, almost treating it as if it’s “not real” because it cost so little in time and money to get it up and running.
This makes it easy to walk away from and many folks do just that.
What they don’t realize is that an online business is a business like any other and it takes hard work to make it successful, no matter how easy it was to get up and running.
Core values like the one you mention are the key to success.
-Matt
Matt, it’s all in our habits and actions. No matter where your business exists, you still have to get that commitment that Darrell mentioned. Thanks for adding to the discussion.
Wow! I loved the starting line, “If you treat it like a business, it will pay you like a business. If you treat it like a hobby, it will pay you like a hobby.”
I didn’t know it came from the Mary Kay. But it is so powerful. Ultimately this is what it boils down to anyway. Not just business sense, it is true for every aspect of our lives. If we take our health seriously, chances are, we remain healthy. If not, probably we are going to get into trouble sometime soon. Same will be the case with relationships, family matters… everywhere.
Awesome post, thank you!