The financial truth of quitting my job (that no finance expert wants to admit)

Ever felt like you should have it all figured out because of your professional expertise? That admitting you're struggling with money feels like proof you're a fraud?

Here's the truth: I'm a CFO, Chartered Accountant, and finance professional with 15+ years of experience - and I spent nearly three years financially stressed, pumping money into my business while barely making any back.

The shame almost kept me stuck in corporate forever.

Let me get vulnerable with you about the actual financial steps I took to quit my job and go full-time in my business - because it wasn't glamorous, it wasn't overnight, and it definitely wasn't what I thought it would be.

The shame spiral I didn't see coming

Three years ago, I took a part-time finance director role thinking I'd work on my business two days a week. But here's what actually happened: I had no strategy. I'd spend those days creating Instagram stories, building courses, throwing spaghetti at the wall with zero plan.

When I started panicking about money, I did what felt safe - I increased my days, went for a promotion, and essentially recreated the corporate role I'd left in 2021.

The lowest frequency emotion on this planet is shame. And I was drowning in it. I'd invested significant money into my business but had little to show for it in my bank account. I felt like I couldn't serve clients because I hadn't figured it out myself yet.

I'd swung too far from masculine strategy into "just manifest it" territory, genuinely believing if I got into the right frequency, money would magically appear. Spoiler: it fucking didn't.

The unglamorous financial moves that changed everything

When I finally pulled my head out of the sand, I had to make some hard decisions. And here's where my finance brain actually helped.

I was looking at my personal P&L all wrong. Like most people, I was focused on increasing revenue - bigger salary, more business income. But I had this massive fixed cost: my Bondi apartment rent.

It was gorgeous. Sunrise views over the beach. Everything I thought a successful 42-year-old woman "deserved." But it was also keeping me trapped in employment.

The decision: Give it up. Spend two months with family in the UK (no rent, thanks Mum). Create actual financial breathing room.

That period changed everything. I fell properly in love with my business. I shifted my business model to include fractional CFO work - high-ticket, high-value services where 2-3 clients would replace my salary.

The smart way to make the leap

Here's what I did differently this time instead of my usual "get emotional and quit with no plan" approach:

I made a deal with myself: Get one fractional CFO client, then hand in notice.

When that client appeared, I didn't just walk away. I converted my employer to a client, giving them time to find my replacement while giving me financial security. Everything I earn now invoices through my company. I'm full-time in my business, but it didn't require ripping the bandaid off.

The universe delivered: A friend's apartment became available in Woolloomooloo. I didn't know this would happen when I gave up Bondi, but I jumped in alignment and got caught.

Final thoughts

If you're trying to go from side hustle to full-time business, hear this: your path doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

You don't need six figures in the bank. You don't need to have everything figured out. You don't need to make $50,000 a month to be "legitimate."

If taking a job gives you the financial and emotional security to build your mission properly - do it. Your business doesn't have an expiry date.

Look at what you're actually spending money on and ask: is this aligned with my values and my path, or is it keeping me stuck?

The transformation happens when you combine: Self-trust, clarity in your decision-making, and an actual bloody strategy that creates space to grow.

Stop trying to just manifest or just hustle. You need both frequency AND strategy.