Full Time Job and Running a Field?

zunath · 12-11-2012, 07:04 PM

I'm not in any position right now to do this but I was curious - how realistic is it to work a full time job (40-50 hours a week, at times) Monday through Friday and run a field on the weekends?

Eventually I want to buy some land and open a field but I wouldn't expect it to pay my bills.

So really my question is how much time through the week you field owners spend doing maintenance and upkeep?

7paintball · 12-11-2012, 08:03 PM

If you have good people around you I am sure it is possible. I just have a store but we make it work everyday. Hire good people, and put in all the time you can.

GatSplat · 12-11-2012, 08:15 PM

It all depends... Some people own / run a field as a full time job... others do it part time. I would say, that an owner will work twice as hard as an employee... So if that's the case, if you have to pay two people each 10 and hour to do the work you would do, you would be better working on your field, unless you are making 20 an hour at your other job.

The big question, is can you generate more income working for someone else, or yourself. On that Tuesday, or Wednesday, if you go to another job, that is time you can't be contacting businesses trying to book corporate events at your field. Time you can't be doing a presentation at a women's club about birthday options for their kids. If that corporate group, or birthday party brings in more than your day job... then you'd be better off doing that.

All thoughts and numbers you need to ponder for your particular situation.

steve_81 · 12-12-2012, 06:40 AM

Im currently at a full time job and running my Paintball business. Like 7paintball said it is possible to do both if you have good people around you and that's what I have. I don't have to worry about things when i'm at my day job. They bring in sales and get the word out about my business. So yes a good support staff is all you need in order to juggle both jobs.

s2master · 12-12-2012, 09:26 AM

It can be done. My field runs somehwat like this. I'm not sure if the owner has a full time job or not though.

During the week they have private parties.
Open play is friday / saturday nights and sunday during the day.
They have private parties before open play on fri/sat as well.

As long as you have trustworthy employees you should be able to make it work.

zunath · 12-12-2012, 09:54 PM

Thanks for the info guys.

MstrKey · 12-13-2012, 03:35 PM

I suppose another thing to consider is.......even if it's possible will you be able to devote enough time to make it work? I've seen many guys try to half *** a paintball field on the side and it always fails because they can't give it the attention it needs for a really good job.

For example: You may have a booking for Friday evening when you're usually done working job 1. Suddenly job 1 calls and needs you to cover an emergency shift. Do you now have to blow off your paintball bookings? If you tell job 1 you can't come in........will you make more or less money by taking the booking? Will you piss off your employer at job 1 and risk losing your normal job by putting your field ahead of it here and there? Will you turn bookings away for job 1 and piss off the paintball customer base which leads to a failed venture(this is what I've seen the most)?

I'd say if you work shift work of any kind, don't even try. If you have normal unchanging hours at your current job, then it may work. Good employees may help but even they will need to be in touch with you when problems arise.

todamax369 · 12-18-2012, 09:10 PM

I run an outdoor field on the weekends and work full time. It's a pain in the ***. I have sooo much I want to do to my fields and no time to do it. I don't have people I can trust to be there when I'm not there. So every things on me. What can I say though? Can't help what I love . . .

MstrKey · 12-19-2012, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by todamax369

I run an outdoor field on the weekends and work full time. It's a pain in the ***. I have sooo much I want to do to my fields and no time to do it. I don't have people I can trust to be there when I'm not there. So every things on me. What can I say though? Can't help what I love . . .

Finding trustworthy people these days isn't an easy thing. Let alone someone trustworthy AND who has a decent work ethic. Most youngins are a write off these days lol. At least if you do it yourself you know it will be done properly. Depending on your age....I find a case of beer or two can often enlist a bit of muscle when you need it.

raehl · 12-21-2012, 10:03 AM

The answer is, it depends.

First, there's really two roles here: OWNING the field (providing the financial resources to get it going and operate) and OPERATING the field (answering the phone, booking the groups, finding the employees, doing all the misc. work to keep the field operating, etc.)

So...

1) Do you have enough money to get the field started? If not, then this is all a rhetorical question. If so, go to 2)

2) Do you have enough money that you can pay yourself without having to keep working your current job until your field has enough cash flow to pay you, AND do you expect the money from the field to eventually pay more than your current job? (note "more" may not be just cash, it could include being happier working in paintball.) If yes, then you should work on your field full-time. If no, go to 3)

3) Do you make enough money at your current job to pay someone else to operate the field? If yes, go to 4). If no, go to 5).

4) How much do you value your free time? If you value your free time more than the cost of paying someone else to operate the field (i.e. you're married and want to stay that way), then hire someone to operate the field. If no, go to 5).

5) Are you willing to spend all of your free time for the foreseeable future operating your field? If yes, then you'll work full time and operate your field the other full time. If no, starting a field is probably not right for you.

A long, long time ago I had a full-time job outside paintball. I was also single. For a while I worked the full time job and also worked on APPA as a full time job, getting essentially NO (financial) compensation for APPA for a while. Eventually APPA got to the point where there was enough cash flow that, combined with increased happiness (and a wife with a health insurance plan) that I was able to leave the original job and now work paintball-full time. I know a few other people who have managed to go this path with paintball fields.

I don't know any married people who did it without enough financial resources to pay someone else to do the operations.

I guess the moral of the story here is, if you want to do sweat-equity entrepreneurship, do it before you're married.

- Chris

7paintball · 12-21-2012, 06:28 PM

That is my path Chris. Job and Paintball, to job is paintball. Got to say it is great.

steve_81 · 12-23-2012, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 7paintball

That is my path Chris. Job and Paintball, to job is paintball. Got to say it is great.

That's what i'm hoping to do one day. Make the Paintball business my sole job. I like my full time job I make good pay but man it wears you down.

MstrKey · 12-24-2012, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steve_81

That's what i'm hoping to do one day. Make the Paintball business my sole job. I like my full time job I make good pay but man it wears you down.

Owning your own business can do the same. Usually it's worse lol.