How Do I Actually Quit My Job Without Going Broke

Most people who want to quit their job never do.

Not because they lack courage. Because they never do the actual math.

They have a number in their head. Usually vague. Usually wrong. And when the fear sets in, that vague number feels impossible. So they stay.

This article is the math they never did.

The number most people get wrong

Everyone talks about having 3 to 6 months of savings before quitting. That advice is 30 years old and built for people switching jobs, not people launching something from scratch.

Building a business takes longer than you think. Distribution takes 6 months to start working. Your first sale rarely comes in month one. A real runway for someone starting a business is 12 months minimum. Not 3.

The formula is simple. Monthly expenses multiplied by 12. That is your target. Not your starting point.

What counts as expenses

Most people undercount. They think rent and food. They forget:

Health insurance if your employer covers it now. Tax payments if you go self employed. Software and tools for the business. The occasional bad month where nothing converts.

Add 20 percent to whatever number you calculated. That buffer is not pessimism. It is the difference between building with clarity and building in panic.

The part nobody talks about

You do not have to quit to start.

Elston built Tiny Host while working at JP Morgan for years. The business was real, generating revenue, and compounding through SEO before he ever handed in his notice. He left when the math made sense. Not when the feeling was right.

Waiting for the feeling is how people wait forever. Building until the math makes sense is how people actually leave.

The transition most people miss

There is a stage between employed and fully out that almost nobody uses.

Going part time. Reducing to 3 days a week. Negotiating a sabbatical. Taking on contract work instead of a full role.

These in between states reduce your income but also reduce your burn rate. They buy time without requiring your business to fully replace your salary on day one. Most employers will negotiate this if you ask directly and frame it right.

Your actual number

Take your monthly expenses. Add 20 percent. Multiply by 12. Then ask how close you are.

If the answer is 18 months away, that is not discouraging. That is a target. Build toward it while the business is also building. By month 12 the business may cover part of the gap. By month 18 the math might already make sense.

The goal is not to feel ready. The goal is to make the numbers work.