When is it time to go all in on a business?
Without a large enough savings buffer, the fear of inconsistent income and losing the stability of a routine keeps you from fully committing. At the same time, lingering corporate burnout makes returning to a traditional job paralyzing, leaving you stuck worrying about potential failure and future resume gaps.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- This comes up 369.9× more often in r/freelance than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Calculating a three-month average net income to ensure it covers minimum living expensesDid this help you?
- 2Setting a specific savings target and monthly revenue floor as a pre-planned decision triggerDid this help you?
- 3Reframing the time spent running the business as formal experience on a resume so it is not viewed as a gapDid this help you?
- 4Analyzing the revenue mix to ensure the bulk of income comes from repeat clients or referrals rather than one-off winsDid this help you?
- 5Working an unrelated part-time job to ensure a baseline income during slow periods.Did this help you?
- 6Taking temporary in-house positions for a few weeks to appreciate the freedom of freelancing again.Did this help you?
- 7Restricting administrative work to a strict 30-minute block at the start of the day to prevent it from consuming billable hours.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I keep seeing full time corporate job postings that I *should* apply to because 5 years ago they would’ve been dream roles- but I can’t get myself to apply. Thinking I must still be struggling with corporate burnout”source ↗
“I like to have a routine, a schedule, clear separation between work hours and off hours, Less uncertainty and a normal life where I don't have to worry if I'm going to find a client or starve to death on monthly basis.”source ↗
“I could go back for a few months just to top up the savings. But the thought of going full time permanently gives me anxiety.”source ↗
“Been freelance for years but honestly it's not as good as it used to be because it's been more competitive. I've never had a full time job but I've been applying for positions just to have something more stable..”source ↗
“When did you know it was time to go all in in a business? And what do you do if it fails? How do you just go back into corporate life with a resume gap.”source ↗
“But it’s not consistent and I don’t have a safety net that I wanted, I only have about 2 months worth of expenses saved in a savings account.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 17Should I keep going with my stagnating business or quit?
- 6How to grow a side business while working a full-time job
- 2Should I still do internships after getting a full-time job offer?
- 2How do you stop researching forever and actually start a business?
- 2Should I take a higher-paying job if money is going to be tight?
- 14Should I register a business before making any money?