It’s THE dream right? To leave your day job behind and work for yourself in your own business, but figuring out how to actually do that is way easier said than done.

So how do you do it? How do you actually replace your 9-5 income so that you can quit your day job and become a full-time entrepreneur?

Five years ago I was completely burnt out at my day job working super long hours, rarely taking time off and ultimately feeling super unfilled and frustrated by my career. I knew I wanted the freedom of running my own business, but I had no idea how to actually achieve that. Fast forward to today I’ve been full-time in my own business for FIVE full years. I not only replaced my day job salary but have continued to increase it year after year. These are the five key things that finally helped make my dream a reality!

1. Pick ONE Specific Income Goal 

This is the most important thing you need to do. Decide exactly how much money you need to make to leave your day job.

Pick one specific number.

Before I picked a real number I kept saying I wanted to grow my business so I could quit my job but I had no idea what I actually meant by that.

Did I mean I needed to completely replace my salary before quitting?

Did I mean a percentage of my salary?

Did I actually need to make MORE money to pay for health care and taxes?

I sat down, did the math and figured it out.

Once I picked a real number, it took me three months to my goal. THREE MONTHS. I had spend almos a decade trying to figure out the whole entrepreneur thing and once I picked an actual number I achieved my goal in just three months.

My number was $1,500 – which might seem low, but this was over five years ago now and I knew that if I could make $1,500 I could double it with the extra time I would have from not going to my day job every day.

My husband also was working at the time, we had a large emergency savings fund and no debt. So I personally felt comfortable with a lower number.

2. Stop Trying to Figure Out Your “Niche”

This is definitely some controversial advice. Most people are going to tell you that when you start a business figuring out your niche is the most important thing you can do.

I disagree.

Niches are super important and really valuable as your business grows, but focusing on finding the perfect niche early on in your business is a waste of time. You won’t magically know it just by thinking about it. Your niche will find you when the time is right.

I spent years brainstorming and trying to map out the perfect niche for my business. During that time I made very little traction on actually making any money. When I gave up on having the perfect plan and started saying yes to new opportunities that’s when my business started to thrive.

Your niche will evolve naturally. You don’t have to know it all from the beginning.

3. Block Dedicated Time Off On Your Calendar 

Working a full-time job and trying to grow a business is really hard! Most day jobs leave you drained and exhausted with little time leftover to work on your business. One of the best things I ever did for my business was to set daily office hours and show up as much as possible.

I blocked off 7pm-9pm on my calendar everyday and set reminders to sit down and do something for my business. There were still days where it didn’t happen. I wasn’t 100% perfect, but the days I did show up amplified my business growth.

4. Build Your Savings

Personally, I’m not the type of person who quit their job without any sort of safety net. There are way too many unknowns. I knew that if I was going to leave the comfort of traditional employment I needed a larger than normal emergency fund.

Prior to going full-time in my business I reduced my personal spending and creating a large “just in case” buffer of money.

I never actually ended up using any of that emergency money, but having it available really helped put my mind at ease in the early days of my business.

5. Start Having Real Conversations about What Going Full-time Would Look Like

Going full-time in your business is really scary and there’s a lot to figure out! My husband and I started having real conversations about what our lives would actually look like when I went full-time in business.

• What would we do for my health insurance?
• How would we save for retirement once I no longer had a 401K?
• What expenses were we willing to cut out to give my business some space to grow?

A lot of people get freaked out about becoming a self-employed person. There’s also a lot of misinformation out there and some things that are different that you’ll have to create a plan for.

It’s all doable and there are a ton of resources and options online to help you figure it all out. The key is starting to take action and creating an actual plan. Without real conversations and research, your brain will forever be stuck in overwhelm mode and try to convince you that starting a business isn’t realistic.

So write out your fears and do some research!

Wrap-up and Final Notes

Leaving your day job and making money in your own business is ABSOLUTELY possible. For years I limited myself thinking that working for myself was a nice dream, but not something I could ever actually do.

It will always feel impossible.

You’ll never feel like you’re ready.

I’m 6 years into business and have made over six figures the last four years. I still don’t feel ready.

You just have to start and give yourself permission to go for it!