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Full-time growth
chart
freelance?

When to know how to quit your full-time

job to pursue your freelance business
full-time is one of the most challenging
things to decide in freelancing.
This chart (next page) is a rough guide in helping you plot out when you
might make that important decision.

You will notice in this chart that the point where you switch to full-time
freelance and perhaps even quit your job comes before you exceeded
your current monthly income from your non-freelance job or salery.

This may surprise a lot of people as most people think you should wait
until you replace your salary or current income to move into full-time
freelancing. This is not always the case, as sometimes devoting your
full-time energy into your freelance business is what can help propel it
to a higher month over month income growth rate.

This chart also encourages you to not quit your main income source or
salaried job until you reach a point of consistency month over month
growth in your business. Consistently is having average growth that
exceeds a certain point for at least 4-6 months in a row. This makes sure
your freelance business will have consistency in growth and income
before jumping all in.

Remember growth in your freelance business is not always a continual

upward growth curve, there can be down months or months of
decelerated growth. This is normal, but overall a good sign is seeing
several months of consistent month over month income growth.
 FLAT GROWTH STAGE
This is a natural flatting out of
SALARY monthly income. Very common to
THE GROWTH CHART OF A REPLACEMENT see flattened growth in income after

Full-time
This is the point in the
income growth chart where
you have your first month
freelance income that
an intense growth stage. You could
see a boost of income yet again
after this flat growth stage or a
continuation of flatted earnings with
some slight dips can also occur.

freelance business
replaces your salaried $5,500
income. The orange line
indicates replacing your
salary plus any benefits like $5,000
retirement you receive in
addition to salary.
HIGH-GROWTH $4,500
STAGE
This is where your month over month income SALARY + BENEFITS
enters double digit growth. For example, 10% $4,000
month over month growth for at least 4-6
EXPLORATION consecutive months. You may have a month SALARY FROM JOB
STAGE where it dips and changes but over a few $3,500
month time-span your average growth rate
Slow growth month over
remains high. This is usually the point where
month. Exploring and testing
you can achieve several months of steady $3,000

monthly income
the possibilities of this being PROOF OF GROWTH
growth proving your freelance businesses
profitable and how to reach the
potential for long term sustained growth. QUIT YOUR JOB
right markets (clients)
After achieving 4-6 months of $2,500
consistent average double-digit
growth you could explore the
CONSISTENT possibility of quitting a job that is no $2,000
AVERAGE longer desired or setting aside what is
SLOW GROWTH taking time that could otherwise be
GROWTH spent growing your freelance business. $1,500

THE INFLECTION POINT $1,000

This is the point where you notice an upward month
over month growth or improvement in earnings that
jumps more than any prior months.
$500

The income shown is

based on the average
salary of a full-time

J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M employee in the
United States. These
figures may differ

Time (In months)

widely depending on
your location,
currency and industry.

Graphic By: Lindsay Marsh

Redistribution of this graphic without permission is prohibited.
How many hours
should I work?
Let’s talk about the time
commitment you should
expect when moving a
part-time freelance business
to full-time.

Obviously when working a full-time job, you can

only commit evening or off hours to the business.
10 HR
At max you might be able to do 3-4 hours during
that beginning growth stage of your business. UNHEALTHY
9 HR
Once you make a commitment to go full-time and $5,500

let go of your other work job/responsibilities you 8 HR

now have a full 8-hour day to commit to growing
TIME COMMITMENT
$5,000
Avearage Daily time

your client base and growing income.

7 HR $4,500

There is a tendency to exceed that standard $4,000

6 HR
8-hour day when your income increases. It is a
normal phsyoclogical response to invest more FULL-TIME $3,500

time into something that is working or becoming 5 HR COMMITMENT

$3,000

monthly income
successful.
4 HR $2,500
When you go past that 9-hour daily time MONTHLY AVERAGE DAILY
INCOME TIME COMMITTED
commitment you do start to reach and unhealthy TO FREELANCE $2,000
3 HR GROWTH BUSINESS (IN HOURS)
level of daily work time.
$1,500

Naturally, after your business reaches a certain 2 HR

$1,000
growth point and client base, residual income
and/or client referrals will allow you to spend 1 HR $500
less time on finding new work/clients giving you The income shown is
a chance to actually bring your daily time based on the average
salary of a full-time
(hourly) commitment down below 8 hours and Time (In months) employee in the united
states. These figures may
perhaps even less than your pervious job as you differ widely depending
on your location, currency
have more control over productivity. and industry.