How I Knew It Was Time to Quit (and My Step-by-Step Exit Plan)

Mar 24

Summary

Ten years ago I was deeply bought into being a corporate success. Good salary, solid benefits, the title my parents could brag about. I was also secretly miserable. This post is the step-by-step of how I decided to leave, the exit plan I built so it didn't feel reckless, and what I learned along the way. If you're standing where I once stood, it might help to see how someone else walked through this without blowing their life up.

Key Points

Gratitude doesn't cancel out misery. A job can look good on paper and still be a bad fit. That's valid information.
Start by naming what you actually want from a role, then compare that to what your current job offers. The gap tells you what you're dealing with.
Before quitting, decide whether you want a new employer or your own thing. Those are two very different conversations.
An exit plan (budget, timeline, concrete milestones) is what lets you leave without panicking. Not a luxury.
Readiness is a trap. You probably won't feel ready. You go anyway, when the signals are clear and the plan is built.

If you’d told me 10 years ago I’d quit my corporate job to run my own business, I would’ve laughed, politely sipped my coffee, and gone back to my color-coded Excel sheet.

I was the definition of “corporate success”: good salary, solid benefits, a title my parents could brag about.

But secretly? I felt dead inside.

If you’re reading this, I’m guessing something inside you feels off, too.

You’re successful (on paper) but the thought of doing this for the next 10 years makes you want to run away and open a goat farm.

Before you go full Eat Pray Love, let’s slow down.

Here’s exactly how I knew it was time to quit my corporate job. And how I built a plan that made leaving feel smart, not reckless.

Step 1: I Stopped Telling Myself to “Be Grateful”

I can’t tell you how many times I gaslit myself with, “You should be grateful! Other people would kill for this job!”

But gratitude doesn’t cancel out misery.

If you’re miserable in a role that looks good on paper, it doesn’t mean you’re ungrateful.
It just means it’s not a fit anymore.

So before I did anything, I gave myself permission to admit:
“This isn’t working.”

That one sentence was the beginning of everything that came next.

And listen - If you hate your job, you basically have 3 options:

Stay and make it work
Change jobs and go work for someone else
Leave corporate life behind entirely and go do your own thing

Here’s the thing: Most people think they have to figure everything out at once, they get totally overwhelmed, and then they just stay confused.

So I made this handy dandy flowchart to help you NOT get overwhelmed and make a decision already:

Step 2: I Got Clear on What I Actually Wanted

Before quitting, I walked through some important questions:

I made a list of mydream job qualities - everything from “freedom over my schedule” to “no one emailing me at 10 pm.”
Then I narrowed it down to mynon-negotiables - the things I absolutely needed to feel fulfilled….(When I compared that list to my current job, the gap was… painful.)
And then I asked myself - Are there opportunities for you to get what I want with my current employer?

That’s when I realized: this wasn’t a bad job.

It was a mismatch.

A mismatch isn't fixable. What you can do is outgrow it and move on.

Step 3: I Figured Out - Work for A New Employer or Work for Myself?

Once I decided if I should stay or go, the next step was to decide if I should go work for someone else or start my own business.

And the main question here is - What do you WANT to do?
NOT - What was I afraid of? (because working for yourself is scarrrrrrrry)

Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everyone.

I decided to quit my corporate job and work for myself because:

I wanted freedom and I didn’t want to answer to anyone anymore
I was tired of having co-workers
I didn’t want anyone else to decide how much money I could make
I wanted to see what I could do

And I didn’t feel like another employer could deliver on those things.

Step 4: I Made a Concrete Exit Plan

I wasn’t about to rage-quit without a plan (I still had bills, kids, and an unreasonable Amazon habit).

And the idea of leaving a steady paycheck made me want to pee my pants.

So I asked myself, “What do I need to have in place to feel ready to leave?”

And then I made a plan to make sure I had those things.

Here’s what I did:

Budgeted for six months of expenses
Set a clear goal: 10 private clients or 6 months of savings - whichever came first. Once I had one of those things, I felt like I could go.
Worked part-time on my business while keeping my full-time job

That plan gave me both clarity and calm.

It also made me not chicken out when I hit my goal.

Running toward something better (not away from something that didn’t work anymore) is what made the difference.

Step 5: I Chose Bravery Over Readiness

Change is scary. REALLY SCARY.

I’ve met so many people who’ve stayed in the wrong job because they knew what to expect when they went into work every day.

And that kind of predictability feels safer than the unknown.

If you’re waiting to feel “ready,” you’ll be waiting forever.
I sure was.

I didn’t feel ready to hire my first coach.
I didn’t feel ready to launch my business.
I didn’t feel ready to quit (I was literally shaking when I put in my notice)

But I did it anyway.

And that’s what changed everything.

Within a year, I was fully booked, making more than I did in my corporate job, and working fewer hours than ever before.

Step 6: I Built a Life That Fits Me (Not the Other Way Around)

Quitting my job was really about finally trusting myself. The corporate part was almost incidental.

So if you’re standing where I once stood (wondering whether you should stay, leave, or start something of your own) and here’s what I want you to know:

Of course you don’t know how it will all work out (unless you have magical psychic abilities - in which case, please spill all the tea).

Trust yourself to figure it out, one brave imperfect step at a time.

If you're in that spot - staring at your own exit and trying to decide whether to stay, switch jobs, or start something of your own - that's the kind of decision I work through with clients.

We get clear on whether leaving is actually the move for you, what you need in place before you pull the trigger, and how to make the jump without torching anything on the way out.

Click the button below to learn more.

SEE HOW WE WORK TOGETHER

Keep Reading: Other Posts You Might Like

Am I burned out or in the wrong job? - If you're not sure whether you need rest or a new role.
4 things to do before you quit your job - The prep work worth doing before you turn in your notice.
Career Gaslighting: Signs you're convincing yourself to love a job that drains you - When you've started doubting your own read on the situation.
Should I stay or go? How to make the career decision that's keeping you up at night - For when you've made the pros/cons list seventeen times.

FAQs About Quitting Your Corporate Job

Q: How did you know it was time to quit your corporate job?
A: The clearest signal was when gratitude stopped working. I'd been talking myself into being grateful for a job that looked good on paper, and one day I noticed the gratitude wasn't actually making me feel better. When I gave myself permission to say "this isn't working," everything opened up from there.

Q: How long did it take you to actually leave after you decided to?
A: About nine months from "I think I might leave" to putting in my notice. Most of that time was spent building the safety net: saving, working on the business part-time, and getting to a point where leaving felt like a calculated move instead of a leap of faith.

Q: Did you have income from your business before you quit?
A: Yes. I built the business on the side while I was still in corporate. My rule was I wouldn't quit until I hit one of two milestones: 10 private clients or six months of expenses saved. Whichever came first.

Q: How did you decide between a new employer and starting your own business?
A: I asked myself what I actually wanted, not what I was afraid of. I wanted freedom, no coworkers, control over my income, and room to see what I could build. A new employer wasn't going to give me those things, so the answer became clear. If those things hadn't been on my list, I probably would've taken another job.

Q: What if I'm too afraid to quit?
A: Fear is normal. I was shaking when I put in my notice. What helps is having a plan solid enough that fear stops being the deciding vote. You probably won't feel ready. You build the plan until going anyway feels smart.

Q: What's the first step if I think I might want to leave my job?
A: Stop gaslighting yourself about being grateful. Then make a list of what you actually want from your work (freedom, impact, schedule, money, meaning). Compare that list to what you currently have. That comparison usually tells you whether you're dealing with a fixable situation or a real mismatch.

Hi! I’m Erica

Licensed therapist. Corporate dropout.

Wife to Brendan. Mom to twins + one. Dog mom. Slow runner. Coffee drinker. GIF enthusiast.

I’m a licensed mental health therapist and life coach and career coach. I help you accomplish in 6 months that thing you’ve been thinking about doing for years.