Hi all,

    I work at a FAANG company. My TC is about $500k. About 50% of my salary is paid as a lump sum (cash) every 3 months.

    I started a side hustle 12 months ago and it's doing really well – it generated about $400k total. Most of it is recurring revenue, so I can safely expect to make at least $400k from it in the next year.

    When/if should I quit my full-time job to grow my business?

    == Reasons for quitting ==

    1. Mentally drained and exhausted from working 2 jobs practically. I barely sleep at night or have time to enjoy life.
    2. A lot of room for growth in my side hustle if I put in the time (which I don't have).
    3. Quitting will allow me to expand my side hustle to areas I'm not really allowed to go right now bc of my full-time job

    == Reasons for staying ==

    1. My job is pretty chill, mostly remote (the only thing that bothers me is tons of meetings)
    2. My wife wants to get pregnant soon (first baby), and the benefits for non-birthing parents are insane. Tons of paid time-off. But when you think about it… I'd have to wait another 10-12 months to get it, which is too much.
    3. Getting a paycheck twice a month, no matter what happens, is really comforting.
    4. Demons in my head: what if I was just very lucky with my side hustle? what if luck runs out? Most people would *kill* to have my FAANG position, and to be honest, I would have too 3-4 years ago. No way back if I quit – similar jobs at other companies would never be so chill (it came with tenure here).

    I always tell myself I'd quit after the next lump sum (that comes every 3 months). But then I find myself saying "ok just wait another quarter… it's only 90 days".

    I'd love to get guidance/opinions on this.

    Thank you.

    Should I quit my $500,000/year job to focus on $400,000/year side hustle?
    byu/booksvalsi inEntrepreneur



    Posted by booksvalsi

    9 Comments

    1. Beginning_Search3711 on

      Kinda hard to tell without more info about the side hustle. A SaaS business?

    2. boldcanvasnetwork on

      If the cost outweighs the benefit, then sure. There’s no point being married to what sucks the joy out of you, considering the brevity of ones existence. But ultimately, it depends on what you want.

    3. Expert-Diver7144 on

      How do you know the recurring revenue is safe? What are your costs? How old are you, how long have you been working?

      Not enough info.

    4. $400k is an incredible amount of money. Is life much better with an extra $500k? I know what I’d do, I would definitely quite my full time job. What’s your mortgage situation? Any debt to pay off?

    5. Why not sell your business and keep the job? If you’re getting bored in your role, ask for a promotion or move to a different team.

    6. Oh_Another_Thing on

      Making that kind of money is incredible. You should stick it out as long as possible. It’s a ton of work, but financial freedom for the rest of your life is amazing to have. 

      Try to put your side hustle on auto pilot. Step back from it, hire some one to handle the day to day.

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