How I’m Planning My Return to Full-Time W2 Work (Without Giving Up On My Business)
Last Wednesday, a friend texted me about a job opening at her family’s business. Full-time. Benefits. Decent pay.
And my gut… exhaled.
Not in excitement. Not even in resistance. Just—relief.
The kind of relief that tells you how tightly you’ve been holding it all together.
The kind of relief that feels like failure when you’re supposed to be building a business.
For the past year+, I’ve been bootstrapping my business, cobbling together client projects, chasing consistent income while juggling rent, credit card debt, and life expenses. Most days, it felt like a test of how many plates I could keep spinning before one shattered.
So when that job opportunity came up, I did what I always do: I hesitated. I hmm’d and haa’d. I asked myself what it meant—Was I giving up? Selling out? Starting over?
But then I listened to my gut. Not my fear. Not my shame.
And what I heard was: This could help. This could stabilize you. This could be a step forward.
Two days later, I sat at the local library with a notebook and a giant iced coffee, and mapped it out.
How could I take this job—get the financial relief I desperately need—and still keep my business alive?
How could I do both… without burning out?
How could I protect the business I’ve poured so much into, while letting myself breathe?
This is the plan I came up with.
What I’m Not Willing to Sacrifice
Taking a full-time job doesn’t mean I’m throwing in the towel on my business. But it does mean I need to get laser-focused on what actually matters.
So I made a list—what’s essential? What keeps this thing alive, even if it has to slow down?
Client experience comes first. Whether I have one client or ten, I want them to feel seen, heard, and supported from start to finish. No one gets the leftovers.
Service delivery still needs to exceed expectations. I’ll meet deadlines. I’ll keep communication clear. I’ll do what I say I’ll do.
Marketing can’t fall off completely—but it can be smarter and more streamlined:
A weekly email to stay connected with my list.
One podcast episode a week with a strategic pause between seasons
One podcast appearance per month (guest or solo).
3–4 coffee chats a month to nurture relationships.
One networking event a month, just to show my face in a room.
This is the skeleton crew of business visibility. Not every channel. Not every strategy. Just the ones that move the needle and feel aligned.
The Boundaries That Make This Sustainable
If I try to run my business at the same pace I did before? I’ll burn out by week two. So I set some non-negotiables:
Office hours for the business. Times when I’m available to clients—and times when I’m not. But not just availability for my clients, but also availability for my business.
A hard cap of 12 hours per week for the business.
I’m giving myself permission to pause for the first month of a new full-time job. This is a reset, not a race.
Line up two accountability partners to help me stick to my “re-entry into a full-time business owner” plan.
Rest still matters. So does play. So does joy.
This isn’t about balance in the Instagram-aesthetic sense. It’s about sustainability. I still want to have a life.
How I’m Restructuring My Business
To make this work with limited time and energy, I have to streamline everything.
Project-based offers will follow a standardized process with clear milestones and deadlines. Clients will know exactly what to expect, and when.
Recurring support clients will get a tighter scope of work, no hourly billing, and a structured way to request help.
Client onboarding and offboarding will be staggered. New clients start with a week of solo prep work so I can close out existing projects without overlap.
And most importantly:
No more Zoom marathons. Project packages get two 1-hour calls, max. Recurring clients get one monthly Zoom call.
The rest? Async communication via Voxer or inside my PM tool.
Everything happens during business office hours. Period.
This structure isn’t just for my sanity—it actually makes the experience better for my clients, too. Boundaries create clarity.
What Success Looks Like (This Time)
Part of what makes this return to full-time work feel okay is knowing it’s not forever. I’ve defined clear milestones for when I’ll be ready to go full-time in my business again.
Some of those milestones include…
Business credit card paid off
All operating expenses covered without adding more debt
30% of revenue set aside for taxes
Two months of biz expenses (including a thriving CEO salary) in savings
Waitlist for project-based and recurring support clients
When I hit these? That’s when I return to full-time business ownership again. Not before. Not just because I want to. Because I’ll be ready.
This Isn’t the End—It’s a Plot Twist
I’m not quitting. I’m not disappearing. I’m not giving up on this thing I’ve built.
I’m just choosing stability—so I can keep building.
This is a plot twist, not the final chapter. A recalibration, not a retreat.
I’ll still be here, sharing the messy middle of making this work—because I know I’m not the only one juggling ambition and bills, dreams and debt.