Hi everyone. I have a question. I'm worried it's a silly question but I'm gonna ask it anyway. Now that I've decided to move forward with launching a business I've also decided to use the opportunity to get over my networking/marketing jitters. My question is: If you have a JOB, and you need that JOB for the time being, are you concerned about introducing yourself, online and locally, as a small business owner/virtual assistant? I just joined Eacademy and froze when I got to the "edit profile" page. Title? Employer? What if someone from my current JOB finds me online?

I'm immensely curious about how you moonlighters handled this. I searched the archives but didn't find anything...

Thanks for reading

Julia

Julia

I am in the same position as you, but I always don't quote my current/previous employees. I know I should really but I just don't want people that I freelance part time.

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Julia Neal ...because we ♥ admin!
http://julianeal.wordpress.com

Hi Julia,

I work only in my business so I can't offer you the working while I have a JOB perspective. While I understand your concern over being "found out" by your employer I am wondering why this is. Is there a clause in your current contract that stipulates what you can and cannot do on your own free time? If you are working on your business on company time then I can see it would be a problem. But, if you are building your business while you are away from the JOB then why can't you do it?

Are you afraid they will fire you if they find out you are trying to start a business on your own time? As long as you are building your business on your own time and are not in any way bringing your business to your place of employment then I see nothing wrong with it. I can see a potential problem if you are at work and networking on company time. That's cause for dismissal right there. But, if you are at home and want to network, then go for it.

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Shari Sultana
Online Business Manager (marketing for retail ecommerce)

Hi Julia

I know how you feel. I too am afraid of my employers finding out about my business. I don't tell anyone where I work and never give out my work information. If anyone would find me online I would tell them yes i'm online but its something that I do after work hours and has nothing to do with my day job. But so far i've been lucky.

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Maria Quick Link Virtual Assistant Services
www.getquicklink.com
Let Quick Link be your link to today's virtual world

I agree with Maria I think as long as what you're doing is not affecting your current employer then it shouldnt be a problem but at the end of the day they may need to know at some point.

Thanks everyone. Some valid points. Am I afraid my employer will fire me if they learn I'm pursuing another career path? Well, I suppose I am (shrug). But I agree that as long as I'm handling my business affairs outside of office hours, then logically it shouldn't matter to them. It looks like I just need to move forward with promoting myself/my plans and worry when I have something to worry about Thank you for your input!

As long as you aren't in direct competition with your employer, you shouldn't have a problem if you list your employers along with your business in your profiles. Sometimes that can help a potential client feel better about your qualifications if they see that you've worked in your field for other companies.

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DeAnna Troupe's VA Service
http://www.deannatroupe.com

I agree with the others - as long your business does not effect your JOB - it should be okay. What you do at home is none of your employer's business anyways. Right?

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Brenda A. Jones
www.brevos.com

Hi Julia,

I understand your concerns! I've been working full-time while building my business for about six months now. At first I was a little nervous about putting myself out there in case my current employer were to find out, but so far it hasn't happened, so I've gotten more bold. If your employer should somehow find out and start asking about your business, you could simply explain that you're freelancing to get extra money. If increasing you earnings is one of your reasons for building a business, you won't be lying. Or you could say you had some spare time and wanted to fill it with something productive and fulfilling. Just spin your reasons for starting your business into a valid (and truthful) explanation in case you're "caught". But, like everyone else said, as long as you're building your business on your own time and aren't doing anything unethical (such as stealing clients from your employer or giving away confidential information), there should be no problem.

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Tammi Metzler ~ The Write Associate
Free call: "How to Write Email Subject Lines That Grab Attention!"

Great question Julia! If you look at my profile on Linked In you'll see I list both my position in Jobland and my VA business. If you look at my connections you'll also notice I have folks in Jobland, as well as, Soloville. When I set up my profile I didn't want there to be a gap that would be caused by leaving off my current employer so I felt they had to be reflected. I also wanted all my experience reflected so all the jobs I've had are listed there too.

I agree with what everyone else has said about what you do on your own time...

The flip of that is what do potential clients think when they look at your profile and see a fulltime position in Jobland? My perception so far is that it is slightly more difficult to explain to a potential who perceives you as a part-timer and might not take you seriously than it is to side-step explanations in Jobland.

I might have created more questions than I addressed!

I never sought out connections in Jobland...they found me. That being said I never had a Joblander inquire about my Soloville gig. At this point, no harm, no foul, I guess.

Make it a great day!

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Sundi D. Hayes
Chief Virtual Officer - My Office Zilla
www.myofficezilla.com