For me, it’s all about time management and calendars. I will admit, though, that it was hard to manage the time at first…a few minutes keeping up with posting would turn into browsing new listings or even writer’s block, but if you schedule the time and set a timer and then the hard part – sticking with your timer, you can definitely see the discipline you need to keep both businesses growing.

Another thing to consider…sometimes you need to change your income stream to accommodate the new business. I’ve done that once before, by moving from completing various contracts with different clients to mainly working on a regular basis with one or two clients. I’m actually looking at revamping my work model once more to accommodate having a baby and moving my mom up here to live with us (in about 2 years.) So, if you see that something is not quite working how you expected, step back and see how you can modify it to work for you.

Ultimately, the business that needs the most priority is the one that pays the bills. Until you can make enough money to have a cushion for times when you want to focus on your jewelry, that is.

Asking as someone who does two “things” as well, do you find it difficult to balance your two businesses? I have had to focus my business efforts on my translation lately, and keep wondering how I could get more time for the jewellery side, without risking my income too much. It’s difficult, since I need to keep my income up for my family’s sake, but at the same time I know that to get my jewellery business to grow, I would really need to put more time and effort into marketing and selling.

I hope it’s OK that I post this question here, I’m really interested to hear about your views and experiences.