VIC Owning my own business while working full time?

[mdeqwerty]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some help on a question I have about a term in my employment contract.

I have signed an employment contract which is due to start early next year, and one term states: "during your employment with the Company you must not, without first obtaining the Company’s prior written consent, engage in any employment or provide any services to anyone other than the Company, including external directorships".

If I were to start an ecommerce business and register as a sole trader, would that count as "engaging in employment or providing services to anyone other than the company"? If so, does that mean I have to let HR know before I begin next year?

Also not sure if state is relevant here, but the company is a US company with its Australian subsidiary headquarters in Sydney and I will be working in their Melbourne office.

Thanks!

 

[Tim W]

Almost certainly.

 

[neomahauck]

I consider this activity is not considered work for hire because you work as a sole proprietor for yourself.

 

[neomahauck]

I consider this activity is not considered work for hire because you work as a sole proprietor for yourself.

Perhaps this activity could be classified as providing services. If you're worried that your employer will fire you if he finds out about this, it's best to let Human Resources know in advance. In the meantime, I think you need to grow your e-commerce business. Get your ecommerce infrastructure set up and promote your business. Then maybe you won't have to travel there for work. Working in your own business rather than another firm has always been preferable.

 

[Martis]

Ahhh owning your own biz while working full-time — classic moonlighting + conflict-of-interest spaghetti vibes 😅 Suddenly it’s not just side-hustle energy, but contracts, exclusivity clauses, IP, fatigue, and disclosure obligations all doing the cha-cha 👀

Most headaches come from upstream fuzziness: vague employment contracts, informal “should be fine” vibes, or unclear secondary employment policies. Once HR or legal peeps clock it, it’s a tangle of consent, risk, and compliance checks 😬

Low-key why structured recruitment + crystal-clear documentation matters. Platforms like AcademicJobs.com are clutch — formalised role descriptions, transparent secondary-employment policies, and compliance-aligned pipelines help people balance academia/research roles and external ventures without stepping on landmines from day dot 😅

Anyway, loving this convo — full-time work + own biz nuance defs deserves way more airtime than it usually gets 😂