Working 9-5 and Running a Small Business - My Experience

As many of you know, I work a "normal" 9-5 job (as normal as working at the Rock &

Baked to Please by Kelly is my small business specializing in custom royal icing sugar cookies

Roll Hall of Fame can get, at least!). I love working in communications; I find it incredibly rewarding, and I love that I get to tell the stories that happen in our Museum every day. Lesser known to people is that I also own and operate my own small business, Baked to Please by Kelly, which specializes in custom royal icing sugar cookies for special occasions. Baking and decorating sugar cookies is hard physical work that requires hours on your feet and a huge strain on your hands, but there is no feeling quite as good as making the perfect sugar cookie for someone's big day. I've been lucky enough to make cookies for some of the happiest times in life, including weddings, baby showers, gender reveals, anniversaries, and birthday parties.

I do both. It's great sometimes. It sucks sometimes. In the end, I would never give up one for the other and find both beneficial to my well-being as a young working professional. Below are some of the truths I've learned juggling my professional aspirations with my small business.

Cookies I recently decorated for a floral-themed baby shower

• You aren't always going to get it right - I work in two very time-intensive spaces, and sometimes, I mess up my time management. Sometimes these things are self-imposed, like not thinking a cookie design is going to take as long as it does, and other times, the outside world makes the side hustle hard, like when unexpected things get scheduled outside of normal work hours. Giving yourself the grace to understand that, yeah, you aren't always going to get it right, is integral in keeping up with a side hustle and staying balanced with your work life.

• Other outlets are your friend - If you're like me, someone who has quite a few hobbies, you've probably been told to monetize your hobbies. I certainly have, and in this instance, I did! I've found a roster of clients who are willing to pay me for my expertise and my time, and I have fun doing it! But, be warned that when your hobby ceases to be a hobby and starts making you money, you need to find something else to do for fun. Even if that's listening to an audiobook on your way to work or playing cards, everyone needs time to decompress and step away from work, even if that work is something you do on the side.

• You can be passionate about both - For the longest time, I was afraid of talking about my cookie business at work because I was scared that my coworkers would think I was disengaged from my work. I didn't want anyone thinking that I wasn't fully committing to my work because I had another business to worry about. Despite my own fears, my coworkers really respect that I not only have my own business but that I am able to succeed in both! They are some of my biggest cheerleaders and always come up and ask what cookies I've been working on (which I will always share). And if you find your side hustle is your new passion and a better fit than your current 9-5, I think there is nothing wrong with that! As people, we are allowed to grow and change and find new things that fulfill us. I personally won't be leaving my job anytime soon to decorate cookies full time, which my hands and wrists are certainly thanking me for, but I think there's a lot of power in recognizing that a person can have more than one professional passion.

• It isn't always easy - Having the passion is one thing, but putting it into practice

  is another. Like any decision, there is an opportunity cost to it. I've had to turn down cookie orders because I knew I couldn't swing it with events at work. I've had to turn down work events because I knew I had to get home and decorate cookies. It isn't easy, and your time is precious. Make sure you're using your time in the best way for you!

Second birthday cookies I made for a client

I appreciate having the capacity to pursue more than one passion in my life. While it might not seem like my two paid gigs often overlap, they've both been integral in pushing me in different ways as a younger person in the workforce. I believe that I am a better and more well-rounded employee because I understand multiple aspects of business, being in business myself. In the end, I am never going to shy away from pursuing either of the professional passions that drive me and keep me connected with the community around me, and working in communications and in custom cookies provides me with that.