How To Handle Your Side Hustle: Without jeopardizing your day job.

• Author: Jackson, James, III

As it has become more challenging to save for retirement, and with student loans and housing prices on the rise, the normal 9-5 jobs aren't cutting it anymore. People have begun to seek opportunities outside their day jobs to accelerate their income potential, pay off debt, and put money away for the future.

The "side hustle" has become a way of life for many. According to CNN, more than 44 million people have some sort of side job they work to earn extra money. These opportunities have proliferated thanks to the gig economy, which allows individuals to moonlight for ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft, take advantage of network marketing opportunities, or--in my case--write an article for Utah Business.

For decades, big corporations have sought out and nurtured "intrapreneurs" within their ranks. These employees, who have many of the self-motivation and leadership skills associated with entrepreneurs, are used to start and head new divisions, initiatives, or projects within the company--and in doing so, they give big companies some of the advantages that smaller, more nimble entrepreneurial businesses enjoy.

Earlier this year, Amazon announced a new incentive for current employees to start small package delivery companies. The new incentive foots the startup costs--up to $10,000--as well as the equivalent of three months of the former employee's last gross salary so employees-turned-business-owners can easily get their package delivery companies off the ground.

Since the launch of its Delivery Service Partner program in June 2018, Amazon has enabled the creation of more than 200 new small businesses who are hiring thousands of local drivers to deliver packages to Amazon customers.

That being said, how does one navigate both--the day job and the side gig--without monopolizing one or the other?

As someone who works by day for Zions Bank, and by night for my own coaching business and the Black Chamber, along with building and hosting programs such as the Utah Diversity Career Fair, Living Color Utah, and the Inclusion Experience Project, I have learned first-hand how to navigate the benefits and challenges of succeeding at both.

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