With five hours a week you can offer a small service alongside your full-time job or explore one product idea. Choose something you can define in advance what you deliver and when. A task that requires daily meetings, for example, doesn’t work well if you’re only available in the evenings.
Choose a service or explore one product
A service makes sense if you have a skill that lets you deliver something within an agreed time. Think of creating a price list for a local entrepreneur. Agree which files you need, when the client receives the price list and how many correction rounds are included. Also set aside time for finding the client and answering messages.
Do you enjoy picking out and comparing products more? Then start with one product idea. Research whether people search for similar items, see which prices are common and request a quote. With that information you can already assess whether a small trial is feasible. Buying stock and opening an offer come later, once you can also fit the handling into your schedule.
How to spread five hours over the week
| Moment | Time | For a service | For a product idea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuesday evening | 45 min | Write the offer and approach two suitable contacts | Compare five similar items and note the differences |
| Thursday evening | 75 min | Discuss the assignment and record the delivery | Request a quote and calculate the cost per unit |
| Saturday morning | 150 min | Create and check one agreed delivery | Work out a margin example and assess whether a sample makes sense |
| Sunday evening | 30 min | Process administration or catch a small overflow | Note what you still need to research and decide on the next step |
This is an example week. Don’t have a client by Thursday? Use Saturday for your own example and a few targeted conversations. If you’ve taken on a small assignment, the next free minutes go to the agreed delivery. Also look at side hustle ideas for alternatives if this work rhythm doesn’t suit you.
See what needs to be done on a workday
Walk through one order in your mind. Suppose it arrives on Wednesday, the client has a question on Thursday and a return is reported on Friday. When can you handle each step? Compare your answer with the service standards of bol if you want to sell there. Reserve time for those tasks before you go live.
Check before you start which side-work agreements are in your employment contract or collective agreement. KvK describes what you can arrange if you start a business alongside your job.
Decide after two weeks whether the rhythm works
Note how much time you spent on preparation, contact and execution. If you constantly needed your reserve block, make the task smaller or choose a product that is easier to handle. Are you opting for sales via bol? Calculate your margin per item with the Zoloo Profit Calculator before you order a sample or stock.
Next step
Try Zoloo free for 14 days
Courses: Learn to sell on bol.com step by step
Included in every plan