How to start a business alongside a day job

Many workers seek to supplement their income by becoming start-up founders on the side – here’s what some of these sideshow entrepreneurs have learnt from the experience.

Westley Wood started Animation Toolkit, an online shop that sells puppet kits and accessories for stop-motion animation enthusiasts, to supplement his income and put his hobbies and skills to good use.

“By day, I’m a creative producer and director for a TV company, but by night I’m a puppet-maker, armature manufacturer and all-round MD of my own business,” he says.

Mr Wood found starting out relatively simple; he had the skills required to make the kits that he sold, as well as the market know-how to attract and understand customers. “After setting up a site on eBay to sell my armature kits, global demand was so high – and immediately so – that I took out a small business loan to purchase more stock and market the business to increase sales,” explains Mr Wood.

Giving up some responsibility was essential in order to keep the business viable: “I eventually had to engage the support of four factories in China and one in the UK to help manufacture the specialist parts, because I just didn't have the time.

“My family also support me – and my dad looks after packing and posting.”

Gerry Cottle Jr, Rooftop Film Club

Ten years on from when it became a limited company, Animation Toolkit is expanding by using Amazon’s multi-channel fulfilment service, which enables sellers to fulfil orders from sales channels other than Amazon.co.uk using the inventory that they have stored with it.

In time, Mr Wood hopes to leave his day job to focus solely on the project.

Building on your career

While working as a full-time publicist in 2011, Gerry Cottle Jr started the Rooftop Film Club in Shoreditch, London, combining his love for film and crafting unique events in unusual environments. Six years on, he has left his full-time job and hosts regular rooftop cinema events in London, Los Angeles and New York.

“I would get home exhausted from a full day in the office, eat, then work on plans and marketing materials into the early morning,” he says. “Now I carefully manage my diary, so that I get my day-to-day done as well grow the business.”

Mr Cottle’s advice for others looking to start a business alongside their job is to focus on their strengths and the end goal. “Put into practice the things that you learnt on your work journey – whether that’s one or lots of different jobs.

“If you’re at the start of that journey, keep learning skills from your workplace, then move on when [there are no skills left to learn], so that you keep acquiring them until you decide to go it alone.”

Don’t stand still in one place of work for too long, he adds – keep learning new skills to carry into your start-up on the side. You and it will benefit from it.

Routine swap – going part-time

Chintal Kakaya has been working as an occupational therapist in the NHS for more than a decade, but increasingly demanding family commitments forced her to consider her routine, so she switched from full-time to part-time work in order to start her own baking company.

“My husband encouraged me to start the business, but I was scared, because providing a service as a healthcare professional and running a business are two completely separate entities,” she explains. Her concerns were soothed by doing some research into practicalities such as accounting before starting out.  

Convinced of a gap in the market for high-quality nankhatai (Indian spiced shortbreads), and building on interest from Facebook and her food blog, Ms Kakaya launched Chins Kitchen in 2016. Orders came in thick and fast.

“There’s no set routine to splitting time, except from the three long days that I work for the NHS, so it hasn’t been easy to juggle everything,” she reveals.

“Fortunately, I find baking therapeutic and I absolutely love doing what I do, so none of it feels a burden, although you have to be strong minded.”