There is a lot of advice out there saying that you should join the laptop lifestyle. Quit your day job today and start selling online, it’s so easy that anybody can do it! These messages sound so promising, so convincing and positive. But I wonder, are they really such a good idea?

Let me tell you clearly – I don’t believe you should just quit your day job and start your online business. I don’t believe that you can wake up one morning and say today I’m going to earn my monthly salary from day one with my new side hustle.  If it was that easy don’t you think everybody would be doing it? Everybody would start an Amazon Store or start affiliate websites to sell products and become instant millionaires.

The real truth is that you CAN start a side hustle while you are working full time in your day job, but it isn’t something that should make you sack you current boss and walk out the door on the first morning. You CAN make a conscious decision to start something and I believe that it should be something that you are totally passionate about, not just something for the sake of it.

Starting your sideline business just for the money leads most people to fail. The reason why people give up and fail is because they are not in love with what they’re doing. When you believe that strongly in your project, you will try again and again. You’ll have a solution mentality. Nothing will get in your way.

You might not yet know what you’re passionate about. Indeed, like me, you may have way too many things that you are passionate about. The best thing is to choose one and stick with it. And if you’re not sure yet what that one thing is, write down ten things that you like doing and see what really gets you excited, what really gives you a buzz. Then, that’s right, choose that one! The most important thing is to choose one and start doing.

In my workshops, I always suggest to my clients that they test their ideas using Facebook Ads. Start small and see where it takes you. Don’t sell to your friends or relatives but to your potential clients, as they’ll be much more honest with you.

We all have bills to pay and if you live in London you have an Oyster card to support.  So what I suggest is rather than quitting your day job today, make a decision and go into a transition period. Give yourself a three to six month deadline. Say to yourself that you will quit within that time frame and aim to have in your savings whatever amount of money you need to cover your immediate costs.

Let’s say for example you want to start a great new side hustle and sell socks.  I would start the brand on the side, while you still have your day job. Make a plan for the next three months on how much money you need to live, how much money you need to save and how much you will invest in your fabulous footwear project.

Let’s face it, nothing is free these days. The reality is that we need Facebook ads, we need to print brochures and we need hosting and other minor expenses. I’m not saying you need thousands, but you will need at least £500 to have at your disposal before you start.

On our social media sites and in the popular media there is a continual headline story about how people ‘made it’ by quitting their job and just ‘randomly’ making millions. These types of headline encourage users to click and read, but what people don’t usually say is that before they created that brand, before they started making these sales they worked really hard, they invested massively in themselves. As Warren Buffett says, you are your own best investment.

So before you walk into the office of your toxic boss with your resignation letter, plan first, execute and be smart about your next moves. I truly believe that you should quit your day job if you don’t like it and find it fulfilling, because life is too short to waste it on jobs we hate. The key is being patient and knowing that there is a purpose in everything. You can make new connections, learn new skills, meet new people, save and so many other things while you’re working, but keep your eyes open for the ‘more’ that is really out there for you.

I help people start passionate side hustles around their day job. If you are interested, join my inspirational newsletter below or join our private Facebook group here.

I’m doing a workshop in London on the 27th of October, if you are interested in going beyond, there are just a few tickets left. Click here to visit