Leaving a stable 9–5 job isn’t glamorous. It’s not a dramatic leap off a cliff. And it’s definitely not overnight success.
For me, it was slow. Strategic. Calculated.
And honestly? A little scary.
In this post, I’m going to walk you through exactly how I transitioned from working a traditional 9-5 job to running my own business — and how I eventually reached consistent $5K+ months. I’ll share what worked, what didn’t, what I would do differently, and what I think matters most if you’re even considering making a change like this.
If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to leave your job without losing your mind (or your savings), this is for you.
I didn’t quit impulsively. I didn’t rage-quit. I didn’t wake up one day and “follow my dreams.”
I built the exit.
Why I Knew My 9–5 Wasn’t My Long-Term Plan
My job wasn’t bad.
It paid well. I learned a lot. It gave me stability. It helped me build the financial foundation that made everything else possible.
But over time, I started to feel something shift.
It wasn’t necessarily dissatisfaction. It was constraint.
I wanted:
- More control over my time
- More creativity
- More ownership over my income
- More alignment with what I was actually learning and living
- To make decisions without someone else having the control
I had built wealth. I understood investing. I had real estate experience. I had life lessons that other women were asking me about.
But I was still trading time for money in a fixed structure.
And I knew I didn’t want to do that forever.
The push came when they switched my boss at work to someone brand new, about the same age as me, similar qualifications (except that I had managerial experience and he didn’t) and didn’t bother telling me.
I was pulled into a meeting with my ‘new boss’ and he was asking me detailed questions. I asked him, “Shouldn’t I be telling these things to our boss?” With which he replied, “Oh, didn’t they tell you? I am your new boss. This is awkward.”
That was the moment I was done. There were a few other things leading up to that moment that I wasn’t happy about, but that was the kicker.
I didn’t want to work for a company that promoted someone to be over me that wasn’t more qualified and didn’t bother to tell me about it.
What I Did Before I Quit (This Part Matters Most)
This is where most people go wrong.
They focus on the leap. I focused on the runway.
1. I Built Financial Margin First
I did not leave without:
- A fully funded emergency fund
- Investments already compounding
- Low personal overhead
- No lifestyle inflation
- Rental income
Because I had lived below my means for years, I had options.
Freedom is a math problem before it’s a mindset problem.
My business was just getting off the ground and I would have liked to have had more income coming in before quitting, but I literally felt sick going into work.
I did apply to other jobs, networked and did what I could to find another comparable job, but nothing was working out.
I decided since I had things in place (mentioned above), I could quit and focus on my business full-time. If it didn’t go well, I could always get another job even if was a pay cut.
I took the leap.
I was still nervous, but having a backup meant I could still sleep at night.
I know some people that need to cut all ties and dive right in without any backup so they HAVE to make it work. That strategy would freak me out and I would be too stressed to actually get the right things done.
But you might be one of those people! Do what works for you!
2. I Kept My Monthly Expenses Low
Before leaving, I asked myself:
“If my income dropped tomorrow, could I still sleep at night?”
I:
- Kept my housing cost very low with roommates
- Avoided lifestyle creep
- Stayed clear on what actually made me happy – spending intentionally not frivolously
This gave me psychological breathing room. I could still sleep at night.
Lowering your expenses is one of the best ways to ‘increase your income.’ The lower your expenses are, the more breathing room you have with your income.
Since I happened to put in my notice at a food storage company, I had quite a bit of food storage in my home. I decided to start living off some of those food items. I had a 20 lb pail of oats. I had a pail full of sugar. I had freeze dried fruit. Bottled tomatoes (from my parents, not the food storage company) and more.
I created meals out of those foods so I could reduce my food budget for awhile, just in case.
Think of ways you could lower your expenses. go over each of your expenses, one by one, and decide where you could cut back, even if just for a little while. The cuts don’t have to be permanent.
3. I Tested Income Streams While Employed
I did not quit and then “figure it out.” While I didn’t have a full-time income from my business before quitting, I did have a business in place already and knew which direction I wanted to head with it.
I tested:
- Blogging
- Digital content
- Affiliate income
- Courses
- Coaching concepts
I was set up and ready to go.
The Transition Period (The Part No One Shows You)
Leaving a steady paycheck is not instantly freeing.
It’s destabilizing.
Even if you’re prepared.
There were months where:
- Income fluctuated (actually most months do)
- I questioned myself
- I wondered if I should go back (not back to my old job, but back to a 9-5)
- I missed the predictability
When you leave a 9–5, you trade external structure for internal discipline.
No one tells you when to wake up. There’s no alarm clock, unless you want it.
No one sets deadlines.
No one hands you a paycheck.
You create it. You do it all. If you don’t, the money doesn’t come in.
And that requires emotional resilience and strategy.
How I Eventually Hit Consistent $5K+ Months
Consistency didn’t come from hustle.
I tried a lot of different strategies over the years.
Blogging with ads. Affiliate links. YouTube ad revenue. Low ticket courses. Low ticket coaching. High ticket courses. High ticket coaching.
I made money from all of those things. I had some high months, higher months, some low months, really low months, but all in all it’s been an challenging and exhilarating ride.
I wanted to take a break from it all for a little bit and a friend told me about the Amazon Influencer program. I thought it would be a fun thing to do on the side while I figured out what I wanted my next step to be.
Little did I know this would be the adventure that would put me at consistent income every single month.
It came from focus.
Here’s some things I’ve learned over the years.
1. Stop Chasing Every Opportunity
In the beginning, I tried:
- Too many platforms
- Too many ideas
- Too many directions
Once I narrowed down what aligned with:
- My experience
- My voice
- My strengths
I was able to increase my income.
2. I Used Skills I Already Had
Corporate work gave me:
- Analytical thinking
- Process systems
- Marketing knowledge
- Financial clarity
I didn’t become someone new.
I leveraged who I already was.
3. I Focused on Value, Not Visibility
Instead of chasing viral growth, I asked:
“How can I genuinely help someone today?”
This:
- Built trust
- Built repeat readers & clients
- Built long-term income
I didn’t have the largest YouTube subscriber count. I didn’t get the most comments. I didn’t have the largest email list.
What I did have was sincere comments that what I was sharing was helping people. Emails from strangers saying how glad they were to have found me. Clients giving testimonials of how they’ve been able to understand how to invest their money because of what I taught them.
I was making a real difference for those in my realm.
4. I Stayed Financially Grounded
I didn’t inflate my lifestyle when income increased.
- I continued to invest my money
- I kept saving
- I stayed conservative
Because stability feels better than impressiveness.
What I Would Do Differently
If I could rewind, I would:
- Focus on one thing for a lot longer – I would get momentum, but then get sidetracked with something else to launch or focus on – sticking with one thing (like a course, coaching, etc) until making at least $5k a month with it would be my strategy
- Ignore outside noise earlier – So many people have so many ideas for you – ignore them and go with what works for you
- Trust my own data more – Being a new entrepreneur is scary, but by looking at the data, you can see exactly what’s working and focus your efforts there
- Invest more aggressively when I had momentum – I was afraid to invest too much money, but when you are growing, you need to invest to keep the business growing
- Have gotten HELOC’s on all of my properties – Banks don’t really like it when you don’t have a W2
- Have double checked on my health insurance benefits – I tried to go to the doctor in the same month as quitting, but wasn’t covered when I thought I was still
I also would have documented more.
Which is why this blog exists now (at least one of the reasons).
Who This Path Is (and Isn’t) For
Entrepreneurship is not superior to employment.
It’s just different.
This path may be for you if:
- You crave autonomy more than certainty
- You are financially disciplined
- You can manage inconsistent income
- You are self-motivated
It may not be for you if:
- You rely on external structure
- Financial instability creates panic
- You enjoy team environments and hierarchy
Neither is better.
Alignment matters more than status.
The Biggest Struggle I Had
It wasn’t money.
It was knowing you control it all.
If you don’t work (and don’t have systems in place), money doesn’t come in.
You can’t be just the marketer anymore. You are the marketer, the salesperson, the CEO, the accountant, the secretary, and the list goes on and on.
Over time, you may hire out some of these jobs, but if you’re like me and like working for yourself and don’t like having employees then you’ll do all the jobs.
All of the titles fall to you.
You stop being:
- The marketer
- The employee
- The corporate achiever
And start being:
- The creator
- The decision-maker
- The responsible one
- The CEO
That shift takes time.
If You’re Considering Leaving Your 9–5
Here’s what I would tell you:
- Don’t leap without a plan – Have a way to bring in money.
- Get clear on why you want to leave – If it’s just because you dislike your boss, perhaps looking for another job would be a better option.
- Have a safety net – Like I mentioned before, I would be in complete panic mode if I didn’t have things in place if it didn’t work out, you may be different.
- Focus on one thing at a time – I switched things up too often. If I would have stayed with one thing for an extremely long amount of time, it would inevitably be successful.
You don’t need courage as much as you need clarity.
Final Thoughts: It Wasn’t a Leap — It Was a Series of Decisions
Switching from a 9–5 to running my own business didn’t happen in one dramatic moment.
It happened through:
- Years of disciplined money management
- Quiet preparation
- Emotional growth
- Believing in myself
You don’t have to rush.
You don’t have to be the best, you just need to be one step ahead of someone else.
Be intentional with what you want your business to look like.
