Walking away from a steady paycheck and structure means stepping into every role at once (CEO, CFO, CMO, admin, and strategic director). More professionals than ever are questioning what’s next. In 2025, 60% of employees globally say they’re planning to leave their jobs within a year. And the EY 2024 Work Reimagined Survey found that 38% of employees say they’re likely to quit in the next year.
Since November is National Entrepreneurship Month, it’s the perfect time to explore what it really looks like to step into entrepreneurship, not from rebellion, but from alignment. Because leaving a corporation career isn’t always about escaping something bad. Sometimes, it’s about creating something better (and more aligned).
What Happens When You Move from Corporate Executive to Business Owner?
A recent U.S. survey shows that 13% of Gen Z and 11% of Millennials plan to leave their current jobs within the next 12 months to pursue self-employment, that’s 24% in total. The line between liberation and burnout is very thin, and what determines which side you land on is structure, soul, and self-awareness.
As I reflect on National Entrepreneurship Month, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not just about leaving and winging it. When you leave corporate, you don’t just swap titles; you wear every single hat in your business. Execution? YOU. Finances? YOU. Marketing? YOU. Operations? YOU. Admin? Yep, also YOU! That big shift can make you feel burnt out and depleted (if not prepared for). And women around the country are feeling this BIG TIME, more and more women (with kids) are leaving their jobs and choosing a flexible freelance role or starting their own business.
Starting your own business is no walk in the park, EY Insights Data shows the numbers.
Are We in a She-cession? Why Are So Many Women Leaving the Workforce?
5 years after the pandemic’s peak, women are still leaving corporate roles at alarming rates, driven by burnout, lack of flexibility, and cultures that haven’t caught up with modern realities. According to TIME (2025), more than 212,000 women in the U.S. left the workforce since January.
What we’re seeing now isn’t just a labor shift; it’s a values revolution.
Yes. Some women are choosing to walk away from a corporate career to spend more time at home with their families (when circumstances permit). Others are dipping into the entrepreneurial space and building careers and companies on their own terms.
Props to all the ambitious women who made the choice to hand in their resignation and go all in on themselves, and to all the visionaries who turned ideas into impact and built something remarkable from the ground up. And if you’re considering your own leap, know this: the entrepreneurial path doesn’t have to be lonely or chaotic. It can be strategic, aligned, and deeply fulfilling, if you build it with intention.
My Story Leaving Corporate to Run My Own Business…
When I left my 6-figure, awesome health insurance and benefits, corporate career 4.5 years ago, I took a big risk. I had the great fortune to work at the top tech companies in the world, yet I felt misaligned and like something was missing from my career. I had a fire in my soul, yes, but I also had a plan, a vision, and a commitment to build something that mattered. 4.5 years on, I’m still building and am grateful I took the plunge.
I love building our business on my own terms.
Imagine it’s 2026, you’re standing at the edge of your corporate career, wondering: “Is now the time?” Maybe you’ve been dreaming of building your own business. One that’s not just profitable but purposeful, one that aligns with your truth, your voice, your legacy. What does it actually take to walk away from corporate and build something of your own?
These 5 truths changed everything for me when I transitioned out of corporate and they might for you too. Whether you’re planning your exit in 2026 or are looking for reassurance that corporate IS for you, this will be helpful.
*As a disclaimer, this is purely my experience.
1. Can You Build a Business Without Clarity on Who You Are?
Technically yes, but it won’t stick and likely will feel like you’re pushing the titanic and won’t scale.
It’s crucial to get clear on your personal mission, vision, and unique selling proposition. What are your superpowers and why would someone want to hire you specifically? What are you offering that is unique? What painful problem are you solving for a specific audience? Make sure there’s a market out there for what you’re offering, or you’ll be stuck in a more painful position than you started so do your research, get clear, and then get clever.
When I joined forces with my husband Joshua B. Lee to grow Standout Authority into the marketing and branding services company it is today, I didn’t have clients lining up to work with me or an audience of 20k+ followers. I started with faith in me and my husband believing in me too. I used my story, strengths, values, and unique voice to craft a position in the market for not only myself, but Standout Authority.
If you’re wondering how to do this for yourself, check out a couple of my resources:
- Your Words Matter: Building Your Personal Brand Through Powerful Executive Communication
- Stop Blending In: How to Use Personal Branding to Create Career Alignment.
Ask yourself:
- What lights me up? What am I excited to speak about? Here is an article on how to share your voice.
- What do people come to me for naturally? Here is an article on how relationships are the core of human connection.
- What makes me different, not just skilled? Here is an article on staying authentic without compromising your career.
If you skip this step, you’ll end up chasing trends instead of attracting aligned opportunities.
2. Is It Scary to Leave Corporate?
Absolutely. But is it worth it? Even more. Stepping away from a corporate career is very emotionally and psychologically stressful. You’re trading in predictable paychecks, great health insurance and benefits, and company access and visibility, for your freedom and purpose. To ease the scaries, it helps to have an ‘exit’ plan to ease your financial fears, keep a day-to-day rhythm and feel like you’re moving the business forward.
Here’s what helped me transition successfully:
- I created an exit plan with financial runway (more on that below) that gave me peace of mind to ‘do this business thing’.
- I set work hours for myself, built around how I work best (mornings, nights?), and what works with my lifestyle. If you’re raising a family, those hours might look different to a more senior business owner whose kids are out of the house.
- I joined entrepreneurial communities that provided accountability and energy, I still have those friends today.
- I invested in coaching to identify my blind spots and strengthen my mindset to show up as a confident leader.
When I left Gartner and Microsoft, I knew no one was coming to hand me my dream career… I had to build it. That first invoice I sent from something I created felt pretty damn special. This journey is less about walking away from a corporate career and more about walking toward yourself. You will learn things about yourself that will shock you on a daily basis but the personal and professional growth you’ll experience is unmatched.
3. What Do Most New Business Owners Get Wrong?
Most new business owners try to serve everyone and end up reaching no one. Clarity on who your audience is and isn’t, is business survival 101. Start by defining your audience and focus on who YOU can attract. In the beginning YOU are the business and people are coming to get your skillset and expertise.
For example, I’ve been a marketer since I was an undergrad at UW Madison. I’ve worked on large scale brand and marketing campaigns for the biggest brands in the world, Unilever, Microsoft, and Gartner, so it makes sense for me to attract marketing execs at large organizations. In the beginning, business owners trusted Josh because he was a seasoned business owner for 2 decades. With time and with the growth of my personal brand I earned the trust of corporate marketing executives and have been driving the corporate partnership side of the business for StandOut Authority.
4. How Do You Know When Corporate Is No Longer for You?
You know corporate is no longer for you when the work no longer aligns with your values, drains your energy, silences your voice, or prevents you from growing into the next version of yourself. Most professionals don’t leave the corporate world because they can’t handle the work, they leave because the work stops feeling meaningful, they leave because they’ve outgrown the environment even if it still looks “successful” on paper.
When you’ve given your all but there’s a knowing in your gut that something just isn’t feeling right that’s your intuition tapping you on the shoulder, asking you to evolve.
So, what are some signs that it may be time to make a plan and take a leap of faith…?
🟣 You’re feeling burnt out and frustrated with what used to make you excited.
🟣 Your values don’t align with the culture
🟣 You feel like your career is stuck
🟣 The 9-to-5 grind left me drained, not energized
🟣 You have an idea that you can’t stop thinking about and have started to test it out
If any of that resonates, you might be done with corporate even if you haven’t realized it yet.
5. How Much Money Do You Need to Leave Corporate Safely?
Short answer: minimum 3 months of cash savings to cover all your necessary expenses but ideally 6 to 12 months runway. Financial runway gives you space to breathe, learn, pivot, and launch without desperate energy. If savings feel too far off, consider:
🟣 Going part-time while you build your business
🟣 Consulting on the side
🟣 Reducing lifestyle expenses temporarily
Remember: once you start generating income, you can outsource tasks and stay in your genius zone. As your business grows, so will your energy and your impact. National Entrepreneurship Month always reminds me how Josh and I started with just the 2 of us and now have a team of 8 (including us) located all over the world, including South Africa, Mexico, Australia, Philippines, and of course, Texas (our hometown).
Are You Building a Business or Another Job?
A business rooted in burnout, hustle, and task chasing isn’t freedom, it’s just another job with a fancier title and more responsibility. If you’ve left (or are planning to leave) corporate only to recreate the same patterns, long hours, no boundaries, over delivering to underpaying clients, you didn’t build a business, you built a new version of your old job …
Only now, your boss is YOU. Days are going to be tough, the pressure is going to be on, so you want your business to serve a purpose and bigger impact in the world to keep you going strong.
A real business creates space and fulfills a vision.
This National Entrepreneurship Month, I challenge you to ask: Are you building a business that reflects your truth… or just replicating the patterns you’re trying to escape? You get to choose, and if you need a guide, I’m here.
Trust Is the New Power Move for B2B Brands
Our clients are real people, and we’re all experiencing a trust recession. There’s a ton of noise online, with AI, politics… you name it. If you’re thinking about implementing a thought leadership strategy with your company, I’d love to connect with you more. And if you’re ready to focus on your own personal brand strategy that reflects your truth and builds real impact, I’m soooooo excited to open up space in our new LinkedIn Brand LaunchPad.
Together, we’ll uncover your voice, clarify your message, and build the foundation for a brand that is fully you, online and offline. BONUS 1-day photoshoot (in your city) included (worth $5000+ alone). The ROI on being SEEN by the RIGHT audience is impossible to calculate. Want to know our current investment level?
👉 Let’s talk. No pressure. No BS. Just a real conversation about where you are and where you want to be. Go from invisible to undeniable in just 30 days. CHECK IT OUT HERE
P.S. The special bonus is for the first 3 people only (once it’s gone, it’s gone).
💜 ICYMI:
Can AI Fake Trust? Neuroscience Tips for Small Biz with John Assaraf
This episode features the legendary John Assaraf, brain science expert, serial entrepreneur, and founder of NeuroGym. John goes deep into the neuroscience of trust, AI, and how our ancient brains are trying to adapt to the fast-changing digital world.
Watch on YouTube here and👉 Subscribe to our YouTube series “YOUmanize™ Your Brand” for raw, real insights on how to show up authentically and lead with your voice.
TLB Club Masterclass
Join the team at TLB every Thursday at 4pm ET to build your digital presence and voice to elevate your brand, business and career. Join a dynamic line up of Masterclasses this month and next to connect with an amazing group of like-minded and passionate business professionals and learn future proof skills your professional self will thank you for.
Join Me LIVE!
This session gives you a practical blueprint for personal brand clarity, content pillars, and a weekly editorial cadence that grows the right audience. For founders, owners, and senior leaders who want consistent audience growth and stronger demand, you’ll leave with a plan you can run immediately. REGISTER HERE
You’ll learn how to:
✅ Define or refine content pillars that align to your market and offers.
✅ Set a weekly cadence that you can sustain without a full-time team.
✅ Build engagement loops that spark comments, saves, and DMs.
✅ Plan channel distribution so your best work travels farther.
✅ Package ideas into thought leadership assets people share.
Big News: Empressa + The WIT Network = AI Empowerment for Women
The The WIT Network (which I’m a proud member of) is proud to partner with Empressa AI to launch AI Foundations for Women, a first-of-its-kind certification experience designed to make AI approachable, actionable, and career-transforming for women across industries.
This exclusive 3-hour, facilitator-led program brings together ambitious leaders, rising professionals, and mission-driven organizations to demystify AI and unlock its potential for personal and professional growth.
Ready to shape your future and lead with AI? Don’t miss out on this empowering opportunity! LEARN MORE HERE