Balancing your current paycheck, future paycheck and the love of your life.

***This articles was originally written in 2016 and was published on my original blog

For the most part, if you want success in anything, you have to sacrifice. Business is no different, especially if you’re starting a new business while also juggling a job and a significant other. My current situation (as of the time of writing this article, not necessarily the time of posting it), involves me driving Uber for the cash to pay my bills, while also working 60 hour weeks at BroBasket and somewhere in between trying to keep my fiancé happy enough that she won't leave me because I’m a “Workaholic”.

The first thing I’ve learned is that you need to know exactly how many things you can juggle at once without any of them seriously suffering. My number is 3. I can do exactly 3 things (mentally) at once, no more. When I was in grad-school it was ‘grad school – job – investing’ then it became ‘girlfriend – job –investing’ then it became ‘girlfriend – job –BroBasket’. I know that mentally I can only devote mental energy to three tasks, so at no point in time, do I devote myself to anymore.

Now you may be saying to yourself that a girlfriend shouldn’t be a task, however, I believe that if you want to succeed in anything (like a relationship) you have to place a certain amount of importance in it. And with that, you need to give it a certain amount of time and energy. Because my fiancé is extremely important to me, I dedicate a certain amount of time and energy to her. So instead of reading seeking alpha articles for an hour a day, then analyzing companies to find financially sound investments, I spend that time with my fiancé, making sure that she is getting enough care and attention in our relationship. She is my priority over investment strategy.

The second thing that has been really helpful to me, is support. No matter what rappers may have you believe, they did not do it all on their own. They had someone there to support them. I don’t often read articles where the writer talks about having a strong support system around you, but I think it is paramount. When you’re burning the candle at three ends you need someone there to reassure you that you’re on the right path. If you’re married or engaged you need that person to be on board with your hustle. If they are not, things are going to be a lot harder than they need to be. So my advice, before you quit your job, or before you even seriously consider starting a side hustle, is to sit and have a conversation with the most important person in your life. If they are a spouse or someone you see yourself with in the long term, ask them how they feel about embarking on this adventure of uncertainty with you. Because even though it will mainly be your sacrifice, it will also be theirs as well. Having them on board with your plans will be one of the best business decisions you ever make.