In this episode, we discuss the pros and cons of staying with a full time job and keeping the side hustle going strong, or leaving the solid paycheck to be self-employed full time.

Sara shares how her mental health was a key factor in deciding to jump into full time self-employment. Katie addresses the challenges and opportunities of having a full-time job while growing her side business. We talk openly about the logistics and financial considerations that go into make the decision to stay or go. We discuss the question of how everything we’re doing professionally “fits” to create a cohesive professional story, and the role of trusted advisors, colleagues and friends to help us understand and thrive in our professional journeys.

We answer:

• When did you decide to jump into self-employment full time?
• How do you keep the balance with full time work and growing a side business?
• How do you understand your own cohesive professional story in the work you’re doing?
• What are the financial logistics and considerations of leaving your full time job?
• How do you do it all on your own? Do we ever take time off? How do we maintain balance?

Recommended Resources for this Episode: * Rock your Web Design Business – Emily Thompson – Online course on the behind the scenes aspects of a web design business. Calculation of how much work you can do with the time you have and the money you need to make.

Links to things we referenced during the podcast: * Katie’s books & podcasts * Reinventing You – Dorie Clark - How do you pivot your professional branding and understanding of your work and professional path. * Exercise – Identify 3-5 good (meaning supportive and positive!) friends or colleagues and ask them to identify and talk about what THEY see as your strengths and skills. * Being Boss Podcast - a podcast for creative entrepreneurs

Next time on Make Your Way: We dig into the challenge of having different identities in your work, and wearing different hats while trying to build a cohesive professional persona. If you like what you hear, please consider leaving us a review on iTunes - it helps us out and helps others find the show.

Find Sara at @DrLangworthy and Katie at @Katie__Linder.

Thanks for listening!