FAQ: How did I know I was ready to quit my day job?

The Pursue Purpose Podcast

Hey there! On this episode, I wanted to chat a little bit about a couple of questions that came up after I left my job and announced that I was taking my photography business full-time. The two big ones were: how did I know I was ready, and what did I do to prepare? In 2013, when I started photographing weddings, I was doing my PhD and thought it was going to be a side hustle forever.

I really enjoyed what I was doing. I enjoyed research at that time, but every time people would ask me, "Oh, you're doing photography. I love your work; it looks like you're doing great. Do you love what you're doing? Maybe you could take this full time. What do you think?" I didn't want to do it full-time. I felt like I could be more choosy, pick the clients I wanted, and have that stability and security from what I thought could be a high-paying job someday at the PhD level, while still fulfilling the creative side of me.

It seemed like a good balance to have both of those things. I didn’t think of it as a full-time option at that time, but I do remember when I was in San Diego wrapping up my postdoc, I had this gut feeling that being a research scientist wasn't where I was meant to be.

I didn’t enjoy it the way other scientists passionate about their work do. From 2013 until I left San Diego at the end of 2018, I was very driven to work on my business. I did nights and weekends a lot, and I think just following your gut where your passion takes you gives you that feeling that this is probably where you should go.

Just being open to the fact that nothing is forever helps too. You're allowed to change your mind. You could be super passionate at one point and then change your mind later, and that's okay. I had that gut feeling that research wasn't where I was meant to be. So we moved in 2019, and my husband was a high school teacher at the time. I thought, "How are we going to be in Seattle on a teacher and photographer salary?"

At the time, my business wasn’t making enough to sustain a full-time salary. It didn’t make sense financially to live the life we envisioned. We wanted to buy a house and have kids, and the Seattle area is expensive. I felt like trying to make photography work full-time, especially after moving to a new area, didn’t make sense for me at the time.

I had just finished my postdoc, so I looked for a job that I could use my degree for. I loved the flexibility of the remote job I had. I was able to work from home most of the time, which allowed me to grow my business even more than when I was in the lab. That flexibility was great, and it helped me grow my business after leaving San Diego.

It was the best of all worlds. I had a steady income, utilized my degree, and was still able to do photography, but doing that while having two kids was a lot. After COVID, my husband decided to pivot to law school. At that time, I was the sole income earner. He had some scholarships and took out a small loan to cover everything, but we made it work. I still had the feeling: "Is this what I'm meant to do?"

I enjoyed the job, but I knew it wasn’t forever. I couldn’t see myself growing in that career or climbing the ladder at that company or any other. It was hard to figure out if I would find what I was looking for. I’m not a risk-taker. I need safety and security to feel happy. I’d feel anxious and down if I were worried about finances. I needed that security to even consider going full-time with photography.

In 2024, my husband finished law school and has a patent lawyer job, which helps me feel secure. Knowing that was coming, I did a lot to prepare my business to go full-time. First, I mentally prepared for the ebbs and flows of my business. I had been doing this for 10 years and understood the cycle of inquiries and payments. On the wedding side, a lot happens in the summer. I kept ties with San Diego, where the season is more year-round than in Seattle, but cash flow is still seasonal.

I restructured my pricing for portrait work to a virtual in-person sales model, which helped bring my sales average much higher so I could be more sustainable, take fewer clients, and still bring in the amount I wanted. In 2021, I rebranded from Whiskers and Willow to Jacqueline Benet and elevated it so I could charge more for weddings. I’m still a low-volume wedding photographer, but balancing that with my portrait business works well.

I also set up my business bank account to allocate percentages for taxes, savings/salary, and operating expenses. Understanding how much I would bring in for my salary was important. I saved up six months' worth of salary last year and now have eight months saved. I keep that in a high-yield savings account, and it helps me pay myself a steady income each month. As I bring in more, it goes into that bucket, and I pay myself from there.

This has been really helpful in smoothing out cash flow and allowing me to feel secure. Even if I didn’t bring in anything for six months, I’d be okay, which is unlikely after running a business for almost 11 years. This gives me the confidence to be mentally and financially ready to take my business full-time and have a sustainable structure.

I hope this helps anyone thinking about becoming a full-time photographer. It’s not for everyone. There was a lot of value in being part-time, taking a few more risks, and reinvesting in the business while growing. Having a steady income and doing photography on the side was so helpful. Going full-time allowed me to have a more flexible lifestyle and be with my kids, which was more important to me than the financial piece. I worked hard to ensure I could sustain a good salary and make this work long-term. I hope that helps, and thanks again for listening.

Jacqueline Benét Photography

Seattle Wedding Photographer

Seattle Boudoir Photographer

Seattle Maternity Photographer

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