The $100 MBA Show, Episode 2714

Q&A Wednesday: I Can't Quit My Job. How Do I Start My Business?
Host: Omar Zenhom
Date: December 10, 2025

Overview

In this Q&A Wednesday episode, Omar Zenhom addresses a common dilemma: how to start a business without quitting your job. Drawing from his own journey as a full-time school teacher turned entrepreneur, Omar provides practical, actionable advice for building a business on the side without burning out, sabotaging your livelihood, or taking reckless risks. The episode is built around five key strategies to transition smoothly from employee to entrepreneur, focusing on discipline, structure, and realistic expectations.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Don't Quit Your Job Too Early

• Main Idea: Maintaining your job is vital for stability and creativity.

• Financial stress can kill good ideas and force desperate, poor decisions.

• Your job is your "oxygen" while you build, providing calm and security.

• Quitting prematurely often puts people into survival mode, dampening creativity and increasing risk of failure.

• Quote:

  “The fastest way to kill a good idea is to put yourself in survival mode.”
  – Omar Zenhom, 00:51

• Emphasized Notion:
  Consistency beats intensity; building steadily over time is more sustainable and effective than sprinting and burning out.

2. Use Your Discretionary Time Strategically

• Time Management:
  • Recognizes most people have about 6 hours of discretionary time daily, even with a demanding job and commute.
  • Recommends scheduling 2–3 evenings per week, plus some time on weekends, or during holidays to work on the business.
  • Early mornings or late nights can be leveraged depending on individual preferences.
  • Quote:

    "All you need is proof that your business idea can work. You don’t need perfection."
    – Omar Zenhom, 03:44

• Practical Example:
  • If you can make $3,000/month in 12 hours per week, you can project what you might achieve with more hours after quitting your job.
• Key Insight:
  • Structured part-time efforts provide "proof of concept" and evidence your business can scale.

3. Set a Minimum Weekly Commitment

• Recommendation:
  • Dedicate at least 10 hours per week to your side business.
  • Structure: Two 3-hour blocks during the week, plus a longer session (e.g. 4 hours) on the weekend.
  • Deep work sessions (2–3 hours minimum) are more effective than many short bursts.
• Personal Anecdote:
  Omar used to go directly from his teaching job to a coworking space or café to focus for several hours.
• Quote:

  "I wouldn’t do any less than two hours at a time because it’s very hard for you to get any kind of concentrated effort…without a solid block of time."
  – Omar Zenhom, 04:54

4. Create Sacred, Distraction-Free Work Zones

• Environment:
  • Not at work and ideally not at home—consider coworking spaces, cafés, or libraries.
  • Turn off phone notifications, activate airplane mode—avoid all distractions during work blocks.
• Discipline:
  • Building self-discipline now (with 10 focused hours/week) prepares you for the demands of entrepreneurship.
• Key Takeaway:
  • If you can’t resist distractions now, running a business full-time will be much tougher.
• Quote:

  "Listen, if you can’t learn self-discipline now for only 10 hours a week, the entrepreneurial world will eat you alive."
  – Omar Zenhom, 07:05

5. Get Your Inner Circle On Board

• Communication:
  • Share your goals, schedule, and commitment with close friends, family, and others you live with.
  • Set clear boundaries: your business hours are non-negotiable.
  • This helps reduce guilt, minimize friction, and build accountability.
• Personal Story:
  • Omar started with 15 hours/week, saw income reach half his teacher salary within months, and used that as the signal to eventually leap to full-time entrepreneurship.
• Philosophy:
  • Treat entrepreneurship like a career change: like night school and internships before making it your main job.
• Quote:

  “If I can make half the money I was making in my salary with just 15 hours of work, I have enough belief in myself that I could make more than my salary with all 40 hours.”
  – Omar Zenhom, 09:14

Additional Memorable Moments

• Entrepreneurship as Night School:
  “You can learn by doing, by building, and you do that on the side in your own night school.”
  – Omar Zenhom, 10:39

• On Risk and Starting Now:
  “Mitigating risk is a part of being a successful entrepreneur. … Pressure kills creativity. Fear kills risk taking.”
  – Omar Zenhom, 11:35

• Sacrifice for Long-Term Gain:
  “You’re sacrificing short-term happiness for long-term gain…in order for you to have a lifetime of enjoyment and happiness and pride in being a full-time entrepreneur in the future.”
  – Omar Zenhom, 12:44

Action Challenge—Proof of Concept Phase

(13:31)
Omar’s challenge to listeners:

• Commit to a minimum 10-hour weekly schedule.
• Write down and calendar your working sessions.
• Tell your inner circle.
• Treat the next 90 days as your proof of concept: build, launch, and acquire your first customers.

Quote:

"Make the next 90 days your proof of concept phase. See if you can build out your business and launch it and start getting customers. You'll be shocked how much progress you can make when time is structured."
– Omar Zenhom, 13:44

Final Words of Encouragement

(14:05)

• The initial phase—juggling a job and a fledgling business—is the hardest but most crucial for developing discipline and the entrepreneur’s mindset.
• If you can build discipline now, you’re setting yourself up for lasting business success.

Quote:

"This is where your identity as an entrepreneur is forged…If you can build when things are busy in your life, you can for sure build when things are less busy."
– Omar Zenhom, 14:24

Summary Table: Five Key Steps

| Step | Key Action | Omar’s Reasoning | |-----------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Don’t Quit Your Job | Keep your job for financial stability & creativity | “Your job isn’t the enemy. It’s your oxygen right now.” (02:22) | | Use Time Wisely | Schedule focused side business work in the evenings/weekends | “All you need is proof that your business idea can work. You don’t need perfection.” (03:44) | | Minimum Commitment | 10 hours per week, ideally in large, focused blocks | “I like three hours. I like deep work… very hard for you to get any kind of concentrated effort…without a solid block of time.” (04:54) | | Create Sacred Work Zones | Distraction-free, outside home or work, phone/laptop notifications off | “If you can’t learn self-discipline now for only 10 hours a week, the entrepreneurial world will eat you alive.” (07:05) | | Get Your Inner Circle On Board | Inform friends/family of your schedule and goals—accountability is crucial | “Tell them that these hours are non-negotiable... This is going to allow you to reduce guilt, reduce friction, and builds accountability.” (08:48) |

Conclusion

Omar Zenhom’s episode is an encouraging, practical blueprint for aspiring entrepreneurs who feel trapped in their day jobs but want to build something for themselves. With structured time management, clear communication, and unglamorous commitment, it’s fully possible to launch a validating side business while keeping your financial safety net in place—making the transition to entrepreneurship less risky, more measured, and more likely to succeed.

Share this with someone else who needs it, structure your next 90 days, and remember:
"Build your bridge. And when your business shows you it can carry your weight, then you can walk across it."
—Omar Zenhom, 14:00