It was over two years ago that I quit my full time job to become a full time freelancer. I had been building up my side-hustle of doing voice over work for eight years before then and once I was making enough to support myself, I pulled the plug on working for the man! But it all came with a plan. Not everyone has the luxury of making a plan, though; some are thrust into the freelance world by way of job loss. Whether you have the luxury of time in making a plan, or not, perhaps these tips will help you in transitioning out of your 9-5. Here are five steps to take before quitting your job.

1. Discuss it at length

This seems so obvious but before making the decision to work for myself, I discussed it at length with my husband and extended family. I was looking for any feedback, insight or points I hadn’t considered myself yet. My husband and I talked about how our daily life might change, what we would do if I made less money than we were used to, how I would structure my day and overall, the ways in which it would impact my family. Something we talked about briefly (which I didn’t think would impact me as much as it did) was how my identity might change when I changed my job. That's a whole blog post in itself! Oftentimes, we tie our identity to our work and there’s a shift that happens (whether big or small) when we make a change. That alone can be a big thing in your life, especially if a big part of ‘you’ is your career.

2. Weigh the Pros and Cons

I made a list. The pros and cons of staying in my 9-5 and the pros and cons of working for myself. Working for myself won out mostly because it meant a better work-life balance and it meant I could be more present for my family. There was a time where that wasn’t as important and a 9-5 made sense. But at this point in our lives, flexibility alone was so important to my husband and I. That may not be the case for everyone because when you quit a job, you’re losing a lot: a regular salary, possible benefits, social time with coworkers and a reason to leave the house (if you go to an office) everyday and more. So weigh the pros and cons for yourself, at this point in your life, and see if it’s worth it.

3. Get your financial ducks in a row

Before leaving my job, I talked to my financial planner, an accountant, a family member who is a long-time business owner and friends who have turned to freelancing about what I needed to have in place before freelancing full time. I’m no financial expert but some things are harder to do when you work for yourself. For instance, it may be harder to get or renew a mortgage until you can prove you have a reliable income. Of course, your income will ebb and flow when you’re working for yourself. As an extreme example: one month you could make $10,000 and another month you could make $100 so you need a few months of savings to get by during the slow times. I highly suggest you talk to a financial expert to come up with your own long-term plan.

4. Build up your client base

This may go without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway: make sure you have enough business (read: repeat clients) to sustain yourself. There will be times when you are starving for work and although everyone’s situation is different, you need to be comfortable and confident enough that you can cover your bills with the clients you’ve got right now. Ideally, now that you’re freelancing full-time instead of part-time, you’ll look for new clients/work to build it up even more.

5. Create long term and short term plans

It doesn’t have to be anything formal but even just thinking out loud or brainstorming by yourself or with someone else is helpful. Just like you shouldn’t go on a boat without navigation, you shouldn’t try to navigate your career without at least a little bit of a plan. I knew what my goal was for the first year of freelancing and what my goal might be, say, five to ten years down the line. It’s helpful to have something to work towards, even if it’s not set in stone.

While I don’t suspect many people will up and quit their jobs to work for themselves on a whim, these give you some insight into what I had planned before I left my day job and what you might consider as well.

Are there any more you would add? Let me know, in the comments!