Leaving Corporate America: How to Build Your Exit with a Side Hustle While Working Full Time (Without Burning Out Along the Way) [Ep 9]

You’ve already proven you can earn six figures for someone else. The women in this episode proved it for themselves, and time freedom is what they got back. Shantae’s first highlight after leaving corporate america had nothing to do with revenue. It sent me looking for a money isn’t everything quote, and the one I found comes with a condition most people leave off. One client doubled her income while solo parenting most weeks. What she talks about first is how her mornings feel now. For you, it might start with a money mindset from childhood, turn into asking how to leave corporate job and still make money, and end with knowing money isn’t everything once you have enough. If any of that fits, this episode is for you. Here’s what you’ll learn: Why corporate builds a scarcity mindset the higher you climb What a financial abundance mindset knows that a fixed salary never taught you How to have an abundance mindset with money when earning has no ceiling When to invest in yourself before your bank balance agrees What a lifestyle business looks like at 3:30 on a school day Where a wealth mindset pays you back once the income is covered You’ve run every number on leaving. This episode runs the one on staying, and shows what an abundance mindset gives back. Here’s to enough, and everything it makes room for. Sarah Resources mentioned: My interview with Shantay Brothers on The Her Big Leap Podcast

Have you ever done your job so well that the promotion you were promised disappeared? That’s what happened to my guest, Shantay Brothers, a former operations leader who loved her company and hit a career plateau anyway. She’d sworn she’d never run a business again, but her past businesses taught her exactly what to look for in low risk business ideas. If you’ve been passed over for promotion or you’re feeling underappreciated at work, you’ll see yourself in her story. And if corporate burnout has you wondering what else you could build, this episode is for you. Our conversation touches on: Why being underappreciated at work can point to a skill you take for granted What her two past businesses taught her before starting a consulting business What starting a business while working full time did for her confidence How she decided how much notice to give when quitting a company she still cared about What having no work life balance cost her at home How faith guides her as a Christian business owner, and where it led her next What she wishes she’d known sooner about her worth and her work You’ve probably typed quitting corporate job into a search bar more than once and talked yourself out of it every time. Shantay’s story covers what staying was costing her son, her marriage, and her peace of mind. Here’s to getting your afternoons back. Sarah

Have you ever stayed in a job you've outgrown because you're sure you'd be terrible at selling your own work? I hear "I could never run a business because I hate sales and marketing" all the time. Jen Thompson had zero sales or marketing experience, and she matched, then passed, her corporate income. For you, it might start with thinking about leaving corporate america and end with wondering whether introverts in sales ever do well. If any of that fits, this episode is for you. Here's what you'll learn: How sales for introverts works when networking events make you want to stay home How to identify your strengths with the questions I walk every client through Why a business for introverts needs a different business model than a networker's Why so many women running six- and seven-figure businesses never post about it You've probably decided selling is the reason you can't leave. Staying means more years doing the work of three people without the credit, and selling is a skill you can learn. Here's to selling in a way that sounds like you. Sarah

Have you ever built something so good inside your company that everyone came to you for it, and wondered why you couldn't build it for yourself? In this episode, I'm joined by Jen Thompson, a former project management leader who created her company's M&A Center of Excellence and now runs her own M&A integration consulting business. After she was passed over for promotion, Jen stopped waiting on her company. She raised her hand for a voluntary severance package with her next step already planned, and her first year of starting a consulting business looked nothing like her second. Jen and I also talk about what finally brought her husband on board, and what corporate burnout had been costing her long before she left. Jen came into this with no sales experience, which is exactly why her approach to finding clients is worth hearing. Here's what you'll learn: How to start a consulting business while you're still employed, the way Jen did it in one summer How to become a consultant in the exact work you already do for your employer Where most of Jen's clients come from, and why she's never needed to be an online influencer How long it took Jen to match her corporate income after a career change at 50 What Jen tells a friend in her late 50s about what to do after being laid off Why Jen doesn't start work until 9:30, and what she does before then You've probably spent years listing the reasons a career change after 50 is too risky. Jen's story puts the other list in front of you, the sleep, the health, and the friendships that staying was costing her, and what leaving corporate America gave back. Here's to building for yourself what you've built for everyone else, Sarah

Has your history of career hopping convinced you that you're not qualified to start a business? Women from operations, marketing, sales, and HR tell me, "I'm a Jill of all trades," and can't see how a nonlinear career path turns into a business. For you, it might look like a career change that never felt right, and now you’re waiting for more career clarity to avoid being disappointed again. Meanwhile, you keep asking, "Should I start a business?" You've probably read up on how to be your own boss and how to work for yourself, and kept waiting for a sign. I’m about to give you many. Here's what you'll learn: Why being a multipotentialite is no reason to put off starting your own business Why waiting for career direction can cost you years Why deciding to be your own boss comes before figuring out how to become an entrepreneur What an entrepreneur mindset looks like before you have a business idea How a pastry chef turned marketer ended up making marshmallows, and what it means for your next career pivot Remember, your “detour” could lead to your most fulfilling career yet. Here's to deciding first. Sarah