The 5-Step Strategy I Used to
Quit My 9–5
6 January 2023
October 18, 2021 was the day my life changed.
I told my boss I was retiring, going to build an online business that inspires the world and pursue a relaxing lifestyle. When I told him, he thought I was kidding, but I had been preparing for this day for nearly a year. I knew it was time to go 100% on my goals.
My old job was the definition of cushy; free insurance, six-figure pay, no dress code, work remotely, and kitchens. But ultimately, the perks weren’t worth 40 hours of my week. I knew there was more to life than working on someone else’s dream. I didn’t want to grow old and end up with regrets, so I took the leap.
But I didn’t just quit on a whim. I made a plan for about 15 months and made it happen.
Here is the five-step process that I used to quit my six-figure job to pursue my dreams.
1. Get Clear on the Outcome
A study from Gallup shows that 8 out of 10 people dislike or hate their job.
I get it. I was right there myself not too long ago. From 1998 until the day I “retired early,” I always imagined what it would be like to make money online. But I didn’t just dream about it; I got wildly clear on what I wanted my life to look like.
I knew I wanted to:
I would routinely imagine what I would be doing each day. I even wrote down dream plans for what I would do each hour, day, and week.
I made it happen first in my mind.
But none of this would’ve happened if I hadn't first gotten clear about what I wanted. Don’t get me wrong; it’s not like this happened overnight.
Eventually, I realized that I loved the thrill of building online businesses and helping people, which led me to start my first blog.
Make a plan before leaving your safe, secure job. Don’t quit because you’re having a bad day or hate your boss.
I find that most people don’t know what they want to do; they just know they don’t like what they’re doing.
But if you quit without having a clear goal or vision of your future, you’re making things harder on yourself. In my case, I knew I wanted to work on my own schedule so that I could pursue building my online business.
Everyone will have a different vision, but what’s important is that you craft it around doing what you love. Unfortunately, doing what you love doesn’t always create instant income, so it’s crucial to have a sound financial plan, so you don’t have to go back to a 9–5 job.
“Always begin with the end in mind.” — Stephen Covey
2. Mastered My Money
As an ex-finance director, I’ve always been obsessed with financial freedom and making good financial choices.
Here’s how I prepared financially for my millennial life crisis.
More than 2 years ago, before I quit my 9–5, I opened a savings account to prepare for my new life. I went into extreme savings mode by stashing at least 10% of my paycheck after tax and 100% of all commissions or bonuses.
I told myself that I couldn’t retire until I had 12 months of my new budget saved. This account was completely separate from my 401K, Roth IRA, and emergency fund.
The next step was to start a budget and cut unnecessary expenses (i.e., impulse purchases, Amazon, etc.).
Luckily, our mortgage came to an end by 2022, and all of my overhead was less than $2,500 per month.
I had a feeling this whole “making money online” adventure wasn’t going to be easy, so I made sure that my credit card had 0% interest for 21 months. This can be as easy as calling your provider and negotiating. The worst they can say is no.
With this, I was set up for success on the first steps of my journey as an entrepreneur.
If you plan to leave your job, minimize your overhead costs to help you feel less stressed. Starting an online business is hard enough, but having a $3,000 mortgage isn’t going to make it any easier.
Remember, despite what some gurus say, starting a business isn’t free.
Cash is oxygen.
You need money for website hosting, online platforms, virtual assistants, advertising, and more. Trying to do this when you’re dead broke is setting yourself up to fail.
“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.” — Henry David Thoreau
3. Invested in Me
Not only did I buy a ton of physical items, but I also spent a ton of money investing in myself.
As Warren Buffett said, “The greatest investment you can make is an investment in yourself.”
I took that quote to heart and spared no expense when it came to learning new skills and investing in myself. Before I left the corporate world, I purchased some big-ticket items to help take my online career and life to the next level:
I spent over $10,000 on more than five different online courses. Some of the topics included blogging, website development, selling online products, and personal development as well as skills.
Before I quit my job, I bought several tickets to seminars that I wanted to attend. These included a 3 day AMC event, BBI events, and several one-day events.
In the pursuit to change my life in 2022, I knew I needed to be reading more. It’s one of the most common habits of successful people. I bought over 5 books on a wide variety of topics, including entrepreneurship, personal development, biographies, and psychology.
Invest in yourself.
Running an online business is nothing like working at a 9–5 job.
It’s so important to learn from people doing what you want to do. By joining online masterminds and buying courses or coaching, you are fast-tracking your success.
Don’t try to reinvent the wheel.
I can almost guarantee that no matter what you want to do online, someone else has done or is already doing it. Find a mentor, listen to their advice, and take action on your dreams.
“Success always leaves clues.” — Tony Robbins
4. Created Multiple Income Streams
Ultimately, if I could do this all over again, I would have increased the amount of recurring revenue I had before I quit.
When I gave notice, I hadn’t really fully side-hustled before leaving.
My plan was to save a ton of money and force myself to learn new ways to make money by hustling.
Within the last two weeks of working, I was able to start a few side hustles for some income each month:
Escape Plan Tip #4
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Which, ironically, is what most people do at a 9–5. If most people get fired tomorrow, they have to find a new job to pay the bills.
It’s never a bad idea to have more than one stream of income.
But you should also prove that your online business works before quitting. Otherwise, it would be a huge error on your end, so ensure that you’ve saved a good amount of money.
“In today’s uncertain economy, the safest solution to be wealthy, be in total control, and enjoy freedom for you and your family is to have multiple streams of income.” — Robert Allen
5. Had “The Talk” With Those Closest to Me
Do you remember when your parents (or one of them) had the awkward, “birds and bees” talk with you as a teenager?
Well, at my age, I did not have to do that with my mom, but I had to with my husband. I had to spell it out to him that I was leaving my safe, secure 9–5 career to build an online business from scratch. It was arguably the hardest part of the entire planning process.
First, he couldn’t believe I wanted to leave a job that I had been at for a long time for the unknown of online income. But I explained that I had thought this through, planned ahead, and had to make a move or I never would. Eventually, he understood and admired me for going after my passions.
My girlfriend saw my misery every day after work and knew I had a good plan in place, so she was always incredibly supportive.
My kids were always supportive of all my decisions as long as I am happy and they are readily available to help as well.
Needless to say, please don’t quit without telling the people closest to you.
Have the talk (even if it’s wildly uncomfortable)
Let those closest to you know what you’re doing, but don’t let them sway your decision.
At the end of the day, it’s your life; always go with your gut.
If not, you might resent them later in life and waste so much time before creating the life that you deserve.
“The number one regret of the dying is not living a life true to yourself.” — Bronnie Ware
Final Thoughts
Who leaves a six-figure job to start an online business that is not fully established yet?
While I did a lot of things right, I should have done the biggest thing to prove my concept works before quitting. But hindsight is always 20/20, and I did the best I could with the knowledge I had.
I wouldn’t advise most people to take the route I did.
Instead, I would suggest that you prove your idea (blogging, writing, e-commerce, podcasting, online coaching, etc.) works as a side hustle, and then, with the steps outlined above, quit your job when you’re ready.
Regardless, I can say that quitting my job to bet on myself changed my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined. Had I not ever made the leap and burned the boats, I wouldn’t have:
I say none of this to brag; I just want to share what can happen if you bet on yourself and take on entrepreneurship. While the journey has been far from easy, I wouldn’t change it for a million dollars. Each day, I get to wake up and control my destiny. To me, that is the greatest gift you can give yourself.
If I can do it, so can you.
Use these steps to start creating the life you have always wanted for yourself. There has never been a better time in the history of the world to build an online business.
Go out there and make it happen.
“Decide what it is you want, write it down, review it constantly, and each day do something that moves you toward those goals.” — Jack Canfield
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