24 July, 2026
Episode 331: Why Building On The Side Makes You Better At Your Day Job
In this episode
🎙️ Episode Overview
Are you holding back from starting a side project or an additional stream of income because you fear it will ruin your focus at work?
Do you worry that building something on the side will make your employer question your commitment or negatively impact your day-to-day performance?
What if creating a business outside your 9 to 5 is actually the key to sharpening your skills and making you a highly sought-after professional?
In this episode, I share a recent personal experience from a legal consulting project that proved why having a side venture actually enhances your career performance rather than distracting from it. Drawing on the systems and problem-solving skills I developed as a business owner, I was able to build a brand-new operations system that added immense, immediate value to the organisation.
Many ambitious women assume that dividing their focus will dilute their impact. In reality, stepping into a training ground outside your full-time role broadens your perspective, refines your resilience, and equips you to solve high-level problems with ease.
Building something on the side isn’t just a strategy for leaving corporate; it is often the ultimate training ground to help you show up as a leader, stand out in your industry, and thrive where you are.
Summary
✨ What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- How side projects act as an active skill-building ground. Pushing yourself to build something from scratch forces you to develop resilience and strategic awareness that you simply cannot build by keeping your head down in a routine role.
- The power of training your brain to think like a business owner. Stepping outside your day-to-day tasks builds an entrepreneurial mindset. You begin anticipating challenges, optimising processes, and thinking with the long-term vision that C-suite leadership looks for.
- Why cross applying your unique skill stack makes you a sought after employee. Combining your corporate expertise with the diverse capabilities gained from running a business gives you a unique perspective that sets you apart from your peers.
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Episode notes
As an award-winning certified executive and career coach, TEDx speaker, podcast host and former lawyer, I have seen way too many female professionals under selling themselves and settling for less in their careers. I am committed to equipping high achieving women with the tools and support to create careers that are both meaningful and impactful.
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