> Moonlighting in Topeka

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, seven to eight million people, about 5% of all U.S. workers, have multiple jobs. There are all sorts of reasons for taking a second job. Some people do it to gain experience in a new career field before switching. Others work multiple jobs to meet living expenses or to earn extra money, and some do it because they simply enjoy the second job.

Such was the case for Kim Howbert, who has been a hair dresser for 20 years. About three years ago, her husband gave her a gift certificate for a massage, and she loved it so much she decided to become a massage therapist. Now she does massage full time at two locations: Great Plains Running Co. and Wood Valley Racquet Club and Fitness Center, but she still does hair out of her home in the evenings and on weekends.

Jeremy Poling’s second job came indirectly through his work at Westar Energy in the IT department. Friends and acquaintances began asking him to help them with their websites. About three years ago, he decided to make his business official and purchased a WSI (We Simplify the Internet) franchise.

Kansas CPR also grew naturally from Richard Sigle’s main profession as a firefighter with the Topeka Fire Department. He had been teaching CPR for another organization on the side, found he enjoyed it and saw a huge demand.

“I always wanted to have my own business,” Sigle said. “So when I found the opportunity to combine my background with my passion to create a business, I took it.”
One of the difficult aspects of juggling two jobs and a personal life is time management. Poling spends 10-20 hours a week on his business. He manages the projects, so he works with a lot of independent contractors. In addition to working evenings, he sends ou t e-mails first thing each morning and spends his lunch hour networking, prospecting or following up on messages.

Because Howbert is an independent contractor, she has the flexibility to work around her children’s schedules.

“I can get up early on Saturday, and they don’t even know I’m gone, and then I have the afternoon to spend with my family,” Howbert said.

Sometimes she works until 10 p.m. doing hair, but she draws the line at Sundays, which is family day. Poling’s business requires more flexibility.

“If somebody needs something on Sunday, I’m going to find somebody to do it,” Poling said. “We just did some work for a site in India, and with the time difference, our Sunday is their Monday morning.”

Juggling two jobs is a lot easier with a solid support system. Sigle’s part-time staff provides good support, and his Website helps cut down on major conflicts. Still if push comes to shove, he said firefighting is his first job and takes precedence over the CPR business.
Poling said his wife takes care of a lot of the household chores, freeing him up to work on his business.
“We still find time to take vacations, and we do things with the kids all the time,” he said. “I work during the kids’ naps on weekends, or after they go to bed.”

With two locations, mixing them up is a potential hazard for Howbert. She has to make sure she includes the location when scheduling appointments. Another potential hazard is over-extending herself.

“It’s hard to pass up that income and to tell people no,” she said.

Sigle works 10 24-hour shifts a month for the fire department, and he knows his schedule a year in advance. That makes it easier for him to schedule his CPR business around his days off.
“When I started my business, I made it a point not to let it run me,” Sigle said. “If family things come up, those take priority.”

Despite various complications, many Topekans find the challenge of juggling multiple jobs rewarding.

“If you love doing something, you find a way, somehow, someway,” Howbert said.