From Part Time to Full Time Your part-time business is just itching to take up 100 percent of your time. Is the time right?

Jon Carmen did the safe thing. He kept his day job in thehigh-tech industry and started his online guitar string discountstore in his spare time. He built his Web site and filled orders onevenings and weekends. Then, what was just a fun hobby for twoyears turned into his sole support when Carmen, 33, was laid offfrom his day job in May 2001. Suddenly he was faced with a toughquestion: look for another job, or dare to take thisentrepreneurial gig full time?

Fortunately for guitar players roaming the Web, Carmen chose thelatter. But even with two years of business-building behind him, hefaced some serious challenges in taking his part-time hobby downthe full-time road. "[When it was part time,] I cared aboutit, but I wasn't trying to achieve something-it was justsomething fun," says Carmen, founder of String This! Inc."[I thought,] 'It would be fun if it turned intosomething, but if it doesn't I've got a full-time job.'But when [the business] was what I was living off of.itbecame a lot more stressful."

Those are just a few of the issues entrepreneurs deal with intaking a business full time, says Romanus Wolter, author ofKick Start Your Dream Business. Givingup the security of a steady paycheck for a life of selling can bedisconcerting at first, to say the least. Says Wolter,"It's like, 'OK, this is fun,' but every day youget up now, you're going to have to sell yourbusiness."

Still, starting part time at first has itsbenefits-checking out the market, making mistakes when youstill have a paycheck coming in, building a client base and findingout whether there really is a clear demand for your product. Andonly you can decide when the time is right to go full time."It's ultimately up to the entrepreneur-no one cantell you 'This is the time,'" cautions Wolter."There are a lot of benefits and obstacles. You have to decideyourself-does it work with your schedule? Your family? Yourlife?"

Wolter suggests using vacation time from your full-time job todo a test run. In that one- or two-week period, you can find outwhat it's like to devote your whole day to the business."Having your own business is a way of life," says Wolter."You need to do a reality check-do you really likeit?"

Carmen didn't have the luxury of using vacation time, so hejust jumped right in after his layoff. He spent his first daystaking a close look at his business plan and all his businessfunctions to find out what needed to change. "We did a lot oftweaking to the business to make it more profitable," saysCarmen. "When you run the business as a hobby, you don'tgive it as much of a critical eye. [When it's full time,] yougo through everything with a fine-tooth comb."

Carmen's eye landed on his shipping and handling chargesspecifically. He thoroughly audited his costs and changed hisshipping policy and pricing to his new calculations. The planworked so well, Carmen decided to sell his six-figure-grossingbusiness last month. Now, with the experience of starting part timeto learn the ropes, he plans to start another business. This time,he'll hit the floor running and be a full-time entrepreneurfrom the start. Though Carmen hasn't settled on a business tostart yet, he is sure of one thing: "I've caught thebug." The entrepreneurial one, that is.

The part-time to full-time road isn't easy, but it can be anexhilarating journey. Says Wolter, "If you follow the steps oftesting it in the marketplace, it can work for any business."And it can be a fun trip.