Stories / Career Transition
Corporate Executive: Launched in 60 days, salary replaced by month four
Eighteen years into a six-figure corporate career, wanting out, and paralysed by the downside.
- Client
- Corporate Executive
- Industry
- Career Transition
- Size
- Solo
- Timeframe
- 4 months
Anonymised at the client's request · figures verified · published with written permission
The situation
A well-paid role, a mortgage, two children in school, and three years of quietly wanting to leave.
The plan had been 'someday'. Someday had been the plan for thirty-six months.
There was real demand — former colleagues had already asked twice for freelance help and been turned down.
What we did
- STEP 01
Wrote the worst case down with actual numbers
Fourteen months of runway, monthly floor of £3,900, and a realistic re-employment window of four months at similar seniority. Terrifying as a feeling, manageable as a spreadsheet.
- STEP 02
Sold before resigning
Two paid pilot engagements at evenings and weekends, entirely outside the employer's market and cleared against the contract first. Both invoiced before notice was handed in.
- STEP 03
Set a date and a tripwire
Resignation on a fixed date, plus a written condition — if revenue was under £4k/month by month six, take a contract role and run it alongside. Named in advance, so it wouldn't feel like failure.
- STEP 04
Kept the first offer deliberately narrow
One service, one buyer type, one price. Expansion is a month-twelve problem, not a month-one problem.
The numbers
| Measure | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Time to launch | 3 years of 'someday' | 60 days |
| Salary replacement | — | Month 4 |
| Clients at month 6 | 0 | 7 |
| Runway remaining at month 6 | 14 months | 16 months |
Measured over 4 months
What didn't go to plan
The first two months were financially worse than staying. This only worked because there was runway and a pre-agreed exit condition — the same plan without either would have been reckless.
In their words
“Once the worst case was written down with a number next to it, it turned out to be survivable. The fear had been doing all the maths.”
Founder, former operations director · Career Transition
The lesson
Calculated risk beats regret. Undefined risk beats nobody.