Q&A: How to start an engineering hustle while working full-time?

Notes from Chris

Episode 1469

A Canadian caller is wondering how to start a CAD (computer aided design) hustle while working full-time.

A reminder of how these kinds of questions can be helpful to you even if you don’t relate to the specific situation. This guy’s question is about a specific kind of business, which I’ll talk about a little. But more important is the general principle behind it. How can you start any business while working full-time? Aren’t there some characteristics and considerations that are similar no matter the type of business?

I would say that there are, so I always try to consider both the specific question as well as how it might help other people doing something different. That’s my goal, anyway. Let’s see if I can succeed in this one—you’ll be the judge.

"Hi, Chris. This is Joe from Toronto, Canada, and I've been listening to your podcast for a little over seven months. I'm thinking about side hustling an opportunity that I was presented with, where I can sell mechanical CAD services to small firms who do not have design teams in-house. In summary, companies contract out a lot of engineering design work that is either repetitive or do not have the resources to perform the task. There's a similar model with the technical work that is going to be done overseas and I won't be a sales extension of that form.

My question is, is it really possible for this opportunity to be a side hustle because I do like my full-time job when there is no pay for no say? Also, there are some possible avenues that I could find leads of such firms that I can help with that work and I'm going to make this operational by being available before 9:00 a.m. and after 5:00 p.m. on weekends? Thanks, and I really appreciate for the knowledge and inspiration you've given your podcast for surely impacts people's lives, just like how it did mine. Thanks again for the wonderful work and best wishes for the holidays."

Listen to today's episode to learn more...

 

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• Art School Graduate Becomes Pencil King: An artist goes from a small Manitoba village to earning six-figures with educational websites while living in China.
• Graphic Designer Learns to Draw Caricatures for $250/Hr: How a graphic designer went from $8 an hour to $250 an hour in her side business. She now earns more than $100,000 working part-time—and she has some great advice that applies to a lot of hustles.
• Tech Broker Moonlights as Luxury Lifestyle Artist: A science and technology consultant becomes a successful sports, motorsports, and luxury lifestyle artist.

Inspiration is good; inspiration combined with action is better. Now get back to work!

Yours in the revolution,