Why quitting can be the best career move you can make
By Kim Rittberg
You don’t have to pull a Jerry Maguire walkout or make an infamous TikTok video to pull a power move. Quitting can be the best career move you make if you have clarity about what you want out of your career and life and are not simply running away from the negatives of your current job.
Emily Thompson, the cofounder and host of Being Boss, a podcast and community for creative entrepreneurs says, “When you feel called to make the kind of career decision that has you leave your job, your world opens up in just as many ways as you may feel it closing in. Harness that power while you have it.”
If you’re thinking about quitting to start your own business or to freelance, you’d be joining the 37% of the workforce already doing so. For those looking for the freedom of self-employment, here are some of the biggest benefits.
Financial gain
Depending on what you do, working for yourself can be more lucrative. If you get out of the “money for time” exchange, you can bring in multiples of your salary, especially if you work in an industry that is flat or not growing.
Leah Neaderthal, who runs Smart Gets Paid, where she helps women independent consultants land higher-paying consulting clients says, “What I’ve seen in my world is that women far exceed their corporate salary. Of course, it doesn’t happen by accident. They have to learn how to get clients consistently, how to price their work for value, not for time, and learn how to lead a sales process. When they can do that, there’s no limit to how much they can earn. And they typically make more while working less.”
Career Coach Becca Carnahan says, “On average job switchers see an average of about a 10% pay increase. The percentage your pay may increase or decrease is dependent on many factors (role, level, industry, geography, etc.).”
Terry Rice, a business development consultant, cautions people to be patient. “It’s entirely possible to make more money as an entrepreneur than you did as an employee. But, you need to practice strategic patience when first starting out. Keep in mind that it can take up to 18 months for new entrepreneurs to fully hit their stride, if ever. Initially, you’ll want to focus more on your trajectory as opposed to how much you’re making each month.”
Flexibility
Freedom of self-employment is intoxicating. I didn’t fully grasp how much the three little letters “LLC” would change my worldview. Being able to turn an afternoon into a weekend is extremely powerful.
Kar Brulhart, a social media strategist says, “I make my own schedule (I play tennis in the mornings, walk my dog, and grab a matcha and croissant before beginning my day around noon). I get to spend time during the day with my kids (they’re both under 3), and for the first time in my life I feel steadily content and excited that I’m able to help people through my very specialized knowledge.”
Rice reminds us not to forget to “factor in non-monetary rewards including unlimited autonomy with your work and more flexibility with your daily schedule.”
No office politics
Neaderthal says another benefit “is having complete control of who I work with. My clients are some of the strongest and most inspiring women I know. As a result, it’s been years since I’ve had to work with someone I didn’t truly enjoy working with. When a friend complains about a boss, colleague, or client they dislike, and they ask, ‘You know what I mean?’ I get to say, ‘Not anymore!’”
Facing your fears
I recently gave a keynote focused on fear at an investment summit. I specifically focused on how fighting my fears was the best decision I ever made. Without an org chart or job description, we are forced to build our own paths and refresh our success metrics. I have been challenged in new ways, and crafted my own process to fight through the fear.
Since launching my business and my podcast, and pushing through the fear, I’ve tripled my speaking gigs, I’ve developed new revenue streams, I’ve been featured in national press, and grown my inbound client leads and income exponentially. While I felt the fear—of failure, of judgment, of the unknown—I pushed through it, something you’re forced to do when you work for yourself.
Personal growth and development
You begin your business with the skills you have but you quickly need to learn how to wear many more hats—gaining new skills but also a new mindset.
I’ve always had grit, ambition, focus, and positivity, but being a successful business owner requires a next-level growth mindset and serious self-confidence.
You need to have grit, to be unshakeably confident even during lulls.
Patrice Poltzer, a former producer of The Today Show turned video storytelling coach, says working for herself has helped her realize her true path. As she broadened her company to include teaching video storytelling to business owners, her students made her a thank-you video and held up signs. Poltzer realized, “I’m doing the right thing. I’m on the path. I’ve never felt so happy professionally outside of my refugee stories (for Today). Honestly, that was the highlight of my career.”
Brulhart echoes that impact now drives her. “The impact I’m having on others, particularly women and women of color, is my ultimate marker. I’ve helped women turn their hobbies into profitable businesses. That is the ultimate success and I hope to be able to continue for a long time!”
Get outside your bubble
It took me two years to start my own business, and I dubbed it “consulting” because I didn’t have a lot of examples of others doing it. Now I’m forced to network in totally new ways—in person, on Zoom, through Clubhouse, through podcasting, through being a guest on podcasts—and in turn have built incredible relationships and alliances, through my podcast and my business.
Quitting your job could be the optimal time to pivot or shift into a new area. I quit TV news to shift into hour-long documentaries. To an outsider, those may seem similar, but it’s a tough shift to make and requires thoughtful networking and rebranding to properly pivot.
Diving back in
If you want to go back to a full-time job after some time away—you always can. Update your résumé and LinkedIn profile to reflect that. Update your title, click “open for work.” Network in a thoughtful way but with different goals.
But as an entrepreneur, I’m not sure you’ll be clicking that button so quickly.
Kim Rittberg is an award-winning digital video strategist and on-camera coach who helps business owners and professionals grow their income, leads, and credibility through video and podcasts. She launched the first-ever digital tvideo unit for Us Weekly, hosts the top-rated podcast Mom’s Exit Interview, and you can follow her on LinkedIn or Instagram.
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