Store.Fan
Open your shop
← All templates

πŸͺ‚ Selling & marketing Β· E-book

Leaving the Payroll

Going freelance without a leap of faith

Split designOpen as PDF
E-book

Leaving the Payroll

Your name

A4 Β· this is a layout preview in the β€œSplit” design. When you generate, the studio writes every chapter in full, paints the cover and chapter art, and composes a downloadable A4 PDF with your name, bio and store link on it.

9 chapters58-70 pagesTone: warmFor Employees planning a move into freelancing

Going solo is usually described as a leap, which is a poor way to think about a decision with this many parts. It is a sequence: a number, a runway, a test, an exit and a first year. Taken in order, most of the risk turns out to be manageable, and the parts that are not become visible early enough to plan around.

Use this templateOpen the sample PDF β†—Create a free account

What's inside

  1. 1The Question UnderneathSeparates wanting to leave a job from wanting to run a business, because the two require different answers. You will be able to say what you are actually trying to change.
  2. 2Working Out Your NumberBuilds the monthly figure you need to cover living, tax, pension and the costs an employer used to absorb. You finish with a number and a note of what is fixed and what is flexible.
  3. 3Building the RunwayCovers how many months of savings the move needs, where that money should sit and what counts as spending it well. You will have a target amount and a date it can realistically be reached.
  4. 4Testing While EmployedExplains how to take on small paid work alongside a job without breaching a contract or exhausting yourself. You will have a plan for two or three test projects and what they should prove.
  5. 5Leaving Without Burning It DownHandles notice, handover, references and the awkward question of whether your employer becomes a client. You will know what to say, in what order, and to whom.
  6. 6The First Ninety DaysStructures the opening quarter around client conversations, a first offer and a weekly routine that replaces the office one. You finish with a week template and a target for paid work.
  7. 7The Boring Safety NetDeals with registration, tax set-aside, record keeping, insurance and a separate bank account, in the order they matter. You will have a short admin list with dates rather than a vague worry.
  8. 8The Lonely MiddleNames the part nobody warns you about: months four to nine, when the novelty has gone and the pipeline is uneven. You will have practical habits for structure, company and morale.
  9. 9Deciding What This BecomesLooks ahead at the choices that arrive once the work is steady: staying solo, raising rates, narrowing, or building something with other people. You will finish with a one-year and three-year sketch you can revise.

A sample from chapter one

It is a sequence, not a leap

The story people tell about going freelance is a single dramatic moment: the resignation, the last day, the empty diary. That framing makes the decision feel like courage rather than planning, which is why so many people either jump too early or never move at all. In practice the transition is a series of separate, ordinary decisions, and most of them can be made while you are still being paid.

You can work out your monthly number this week. You can open a savings account and start the runway next month. You can take one small paid project in the evenings to find out whether anyone will actually pay you for this. None of that requires courage. By the time the resignation arrives, it is confirming a set of facts you have already gathered rather than testing a hope.

  • Calculate your number including tax, pension and the equipment your employer currently replaces for you.
  • Aim for six months of that number in savings before you set a leaving date, and keep it separate from everyday money.
  • Check your employment contract for restrictions before taking any outside work, and follow them exactly.
  • Run at least two paid test projects while employed, and treat the questions they raise as the real result.

Key takeaways

  • Nearly every part of going freelance can be prepared before you resign, which is what makes the move survivable.
  • The runway is not only savings; it is the number of months you can spend finding out what your work is worth.
  • The hardest stretch is usually the middle of the first year, and knowing that in advance is most of the remedy.

The studio writes every chapter from this outline, paints the art and hands you a PDF you can sell the same afternoon.

Start free

More in Selling & marketing

Changing Career Without ChaosWrite A CV People ReadPrepare For The Interview