I suspect that most corporate professionals have wondered what it would be like to exit stage left and see what it’s like outside the land of performance reviews, town halls, and KPIs. To manage your own time and opt out of the calendars packed with meetings you probably didn’t need to be on. To stop finding new ways to say the same thing on a powerpoint page. Let’s call this passive daydreaming kindling.

Most of the time this kindling just exists, no spark to set it off. Then companies started layering in things like returning to office, monitoring badge swipes, cutting personnel, endless AI talk, and so on. Now the kindling has a spark, maybe even a few.

Alas, corporations know this and they have ways of dangling the carrot. Some call it golden handcuffs. For me, that carrot was changing the compensation structure from all cash to cash plus incentive stock that vested on a four-year rolling basis. To leave voluntarily would mean giving up any unvested stock, which after 10+ years of this structure, was substantial. For others it could be healthcare, benefits plans, or the promise of a promotion.

Now, before you start thinking I am a disgruntled corporate employee who just didn’t want to go to the office, let me share a few facts about my 23 years at two of the big banks. I was consistently a top performer, many times receiving the coveted 5 rating. I held a c-suite position in technology and a principal level position in sales growth strategy. I’ve managed global teams and budgets of 200MM+. I’ve mentored over 40 junior employees with high career ambitions. I understood the corporate world and learned to thrive in it. I respected my managers and I enjoyed my colleagues. I felt appreciated.

So why did I leave an absurd amount of money on the table and resign anyway? Three reasons.

1. The corporate ladder stopped fulfilling me. This rang true for me several years before I resigned, when I reached the coveted c-suite position. I had finally earned a seat at the executive table and could not believe how unrewarding it was. My days became all about meetings, travel (75%+ if you can believe it), and talks about cutting budget while still meeting targets. My stress was high and I questioned why I wanted this in the first place. I did this for several more years and, unsurprisingly, burnt out. I switched to a principal level individual contributor and found better balance there, but the bell had been rung. I had no corporate ladder to chase.
2. I reached my gradual retirement number. Once I lost any desire to chase a corporate ladder, my focus turned to using corporate employment as an accelerator for my personal finance goals. Some call it FIRE or Coast FIRE, but for me it was always about hitting a number that gave me more flexibility and options. I hit that goal in November of 2025, and I resigned in February 2026 after receiving my final incentive bonus.
3. Having one revenue source became riskier than leaving. There are mass layoffs happening at many of the big corporations and while I would have welcomed an exit package, I knew this was not happening for me. I am sorry to anyone who was laid off and is reading this. I know many would trade places with me, but there is another side to the same coin and it’s being squeezed by your manager while they let everyone around you go. Both are terrible, and both are advantageous to the employer. Ultimately, I realized that my expertise and high-performance track record are assets, and I was tired of holding it captive for one employer who was holding me in limbo.

It’s been three months since my required notice period ended and I started my own business, providing independent consulting services to small business owners and corporate sales leaders. Leaving corporate after two decades is quite an adjustment, but I have been loving the freedom to design my days and choose my projects.

I’ve created this newsletter, The Growth Ahead, to have a more personalized place to connect and share a behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to launch and run a consulting firm.

I’d love to have you along for the journey.