275. Roadmap to Quitting Your Job and Building a Business in 2026 with Sam Vander Wielen
· 51 min · Episode 275
Episode 275. Roadmap to Quitting Your Job and Building a Business in 2026 with Sam Vander Wielen
If you’re thinking about quitting your job in 2026 and finally starting your own business, this episode is your practical roadmap. I’m joined by lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Sam Vander Wielen, who left corporate law with multi-six-figure student loans, built a multi-seven-figure digital products company, and learned firsthand what entrepreneurship can and cannot do for your happiness. We’re talking about how to financially plan your exit from a 9-to-5, what legal steps you need (LLC, contracts, trademarks), and how to stop tying your worth to income, vanity metrics, or job titles. If you want a sustainable, smart plan for quitting your job and building a profitable business in 2026, this conversation will show you how to do it without burning your life down in the process.
Sam’s links:
Get Sam’s book: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/book/ Listen to Sam’s podcast: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/podcast
Sign up for Sam’s newsletter: https://www.samvanderwielen.com/easy-emails
To get more resources including any freebies mentioned in this episode, head to https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod
0:00 Intro
01:15 The Happiness Myth
04:30 Why We Tie Happiness to Milestones
07:30 What a Business Can (and Can’t) Give You
11:00 Money as a Tool for Safety and Choice
15:00 Sam’s Corporate Law Wake-Up Call
20:00 The Stability Myth of Corporate Jobs
25:30 Planning a Real Exit From Your 9–5
30:30 Legal Basics for Starting a Business
36:00 Why Entrepreneurship Doesn’t Fix Your Life
41:30 Redefining Success Before You Leap
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