Last week, I shared my thoughts about why I think freelancing is actually safer than a 9-5 in 2025. The piece seems to have resonated with a lot of you.

Half a dozen freelancers emailed me with questions like this one:

"Hey Alex, I'm convinced freelancing is the move, but my partner and I just bought a house and I’m nervous about the idea of letting go of my steady income. How do you suggest I make the switch to full-time freelancing while limiting the risk of losing a steady income?”

I thought that was a really good question (that I get asked often), so in this blog post I’ll be sharing a tangible game plan on how to make that transition. Consider it your concise freelancer guide to a low-risk exit.

The key concept here is you don't have to choose between financial security and freelance freedom. You can have both, but you need to be strategic about it.

After working with dozens of freelancers who went from part-time to full-time freelance, I've refined what I call the 3-Step Transition Framework. It's not sexy, but it works without the financial panic that kills most people's dreams. So let’s jump into it!

‍

Freelancer vs. Employee: Key Differences

Most people assume freelancing is just “the same job, but from home.” Wrong. If you try to freelance with an employee mindset, you’ll crash into a wall at full speed.

• Employees get paid for time / Freelancers get paid for outcomes
• Employees follow instructions / Freelancers solve problems.
• Employees wait to be assigned work / Freelancers create demand for their work.

Once you understand that you’re no longer trading hours, everything gets easier: pricing, positioning, confidence, and client relationships. This mindset shift is what separates the people who dabble in freelancing from the ones who build real businesses.

‍

Why Freelancing Is Actually Safer Than a 9-5 in 2026

Here’s the uncomfortable truth about “job security”: it’s mostly a marketing slogan companies tell employees to keep them loyal. In 2026, the safest thing you can do as a marketer is diversifying your income across multiple clients.

Let me tell you a quick story. Last year, my old coworker Jacob texted me on a random Friday:

“Just got walked out of the office. Three years at the agency, gone. They’re calling it layoffs.”

This guy was a high performer. Then the agency lost two major clients: boom, 40 people gone. Jacob got three weeks of severance and a “thanks for your loyalty” email.

And before you say “that won’t happen to me”… it already is:

• Marketing layoffs accelerated across e-commerce and agencies
• Budgets shifted from full-time teams to fractional and freelance talent
• Even “safe” corporate marketing jobs got cut to protect profit margins

Meanwhile… freelance marketing exploded. More companies are hiring specialized freelancers, not full-time employees. Why?

Because hiring one $8K/month marketer with $8K in overhead doesn’t make sense anymore, especially when they can hire a freelancer for the same rate with zero extra cost.

‍

How Do You Start the Transition From Full-Time Job to Freelance?

People overcomplicate this. They think they need a website, branding, a logo, a fancy business name.

No. You need revenue. Revenue beats branding every day of the week.

When you’re first starting out, nobody cares what your logo looks like. They care whether you can solve their problem faster, cheaper, or better than they can do it themselves. Everything else is noise.

So before you invest in design, invest in proof. Proof that you can deliver results. Proof that someone is willing to pay you for what you do. Proof that you can handle a project from start to finish.

‍

The 3-Step Transition Framework

‍

Phase 1: The “Side Hustle” Phase (Months 1-3)

Instead of jumping ship immediately, use your current job as a safety net while you build your freelance foundation. This is also the perfect time to reflect on what you’re actually good at, and start creating service packages that actually make money.

Key insight from successful transitions: "I started by taking a step back and assessing my skills: what did I do well at my day job? What made me feel content and happy in my current role?"

Real example: One marketer started with email marketing for a former colleague's startup. Just 5 hours a week, $1,500/month. Proof of concept without burning bridges.

‍

Your Action Steps:

1. Skills audit: Identify what you're genuinely good at and what you enjoy

2. Create your offer: Define your pricing, scope of work, and processes

3. Market validation: Find 1-2 small projects to prove demand exists

Protect evenings/weekends and schedule micro-rest so you don’t burn out early. Strategic taking time off (even a half-day reset) will keep output high during this phase.

‍

Phase 2: The "Confidence Building" Phase (Months 4-6)

This is where you prove to yourself (and future clients) that you can consistently deliver results.

Key insight from successful transitions: "With each new successful client, I became more confident that I could eventually transition to full-time freelancing."

‍

Your Action Steps:

1. Scale gradually: Add 1-2 more clients

2. Raise rates: Each new client should pay more than the last

3. Build systems: Use AI tools and optimize your time to work more efficiently

‍

As one freelancer emailed me: "It all boiled down to beginning small, learning as I went, and progressively building a reputation that would support me in reaching my long-term goals."

‍

Phase 3: The Strategic Exit Phase (Month 6+)

By now, you should be matching or exceeding your 9-5 income with freelance work. You should also be REALLY busy between full-time work and freelance clients.

It’s time to transition out of your day job. In other words, putting in your two weeks!

‍

⚠️ The most important part of quitting is to not burn bridges. Your reputation is everything in this business, and your former colleagues and clients could (and should) become clients or referral sources.

‍

⚠️ It goes without saying that you should have this conversation over the phone with your manager or your CEO, especially if you have learned from them and built a relationship over time. Explain why you’re leaving (without oversharing), thank them, ensure you do a proper handoff and work until the very last day you’re getting paid. Lasting impressions matter just as much as the first ones.

‍

Remember these three things when putting in your notice:

- Don't complain about the company

- Don't brag about your freelance success

- Don't try to dirty poach your 9-5 clients into your freelance business

And before you actually put your notice, double check your financial safety net. You should have at least 4-6 months worth of expenses in the bank to give you some room to breathe. A resilient freelance strategy includes liquidity + lead flow + one “runway client.”

‍

What You Need to Transition From Full-Time to Freelance Work

To make this switch safely, you actually only need four things:

• At least one repeatable skill. Copywriting, content management, ads, email marketing, analytics… something businesses already spend money on.
• One or two clients to validate demand. They don’t have to be huge. They just need to pay.
• A simple service package with clear pricing. Clients don’t buy “hours.” They buy outcomes.
• A financial cushion. 4–6 months of expenses = confidence + good decision-making.

That’s it. Everything else can be built later.

‍

Shift Your Mindset From Employee to Entrepreneur

Old thinking: "I need job security"

New thinking: "I need skill security"

Old thinking: "My worth = my job title"  

New thinking: "My worth = the value I create"

Key insight: "It's an absolute illusion to think that a person's worth equates to their job title, organisation, paycheck, and so on. Their worth all comes down to the value they bring"

‍

This Trick Helped Me Go From Full-Time to Freelance

When I quit my job, I didn’t make the leap blindly. I built what I call a “runway client.”

• A runway client is:
• A client with recurring work
• On a retainer
• Paying consistently every month

Not a one-off project. Not a random gig. Predictable income.

I wasn’t making millions, but I was paying my bills. And when you can pay your bills without your employer, you get a different kind of confidence. If you want the closest thing to a stress-free exit, secure at least one runway client before you quit.

‍

Dealing with "The Fear"

Every freelancer faces this. One experienced freelancer put it perfectly: "When you quit your job and go freelance it can bring up ALL OF YOUR FEARS... Am I good enough? What if I never earn a penny ever again?"

The solution: Facing these fears is the biggest way to push through them. Eventually you learn that you make up most of your problems in your head, and there is no truth to most of them.

‍

Freelancers Who Successfully Transitioned to Full-Time (Real Stories)

1. Steph Weaver

Steph got fired in late 2019 and decided she’d never sit in a cubicle again. During the pandemic, no one was hiring full-time, so she went all-in on freelancing. It took her two years, but she now makes 4x her old salary, works from anywhere, and is literally flying to Paris for two months because she can.

Sometimes getting fired isn’t a setback, it’s the reset you needed.

2. Josiah Roche

Josiah made the switch when his freelance retainers started paying more than his agency job. But it wasn’t just money. Clients wanted him for strategy, not just execution. He built steady retainers, low financial obligations, and more inbound leads than he could handle.

3. Georgi Petrov

Georgi spent years in an agency before realizing his freelance income was higher than his salary and his client work aligned more with his passion. Once he had reliable clients and the skills to sustain himself, he went all-in. The hardest part was work-life balance, but the freedom was worth it.

For Georgi, the signal was simple: his clients trusted him more than his employer did.

4. Daniel Reparat

Daniel realized he enjoyed freelance work more than his remote agency job. He picked up local SEO clients on the side, saw steady growth, saved a financial runway, and made the jump. He wasn’t replacing his full-time income yet, but momentum was real.

The niche (Local SEO) + steady progress = full-time business.

5. Natalia Lavrenenko

Natalia was managing UGC clients at night and on weekends. When she started turning down paid projects because of her day job, the decision was made. Going full-time meant she could scale, experiment, and choose brands she cared about.

When freelance demand outgrows your day job, it’s a flashing green light.

‍

The Bottom Line

You don't have to choose between security and freedom. The most successful freelancers build their business strategically, not desperately.

The goal isn't to escape your 9-5 as fast as possible. It's to escape it as safely and strategically as possible.

‍

--

Want more freelance tips that actually work?

Subscribe to my newsletter and get actionable freelance marketing strategies delivered to your inbox weekly.