🦅 Jump or Prepare? Two Paths to Going Full-Time Creator

In this issue, you’ll find:

• Jump or prepare? Two paths to going full-time creator

• News creators should know

• Let’s grow on Threads together

Jump or Prepare? Two Paths to Going Full-Time Creator

A few months ago, I told you that I quit my bank job at 22 with €15,000 in debt.

But here's what I didn't tell you: that's not the only way to do it.

Dickie Bush made $40,000 a month from his side hustle—and he still kept his full-time job for another 15 months. He didn't leave until his side income was 2-3x his salary.

I jumped. He prepared. We both built 7-figure businesses.

So which path is right for you?

1) The Prepare Path

Dickie Bush is the poster child for patient exits.

While running Ship30for30, his flagship course that helps writers build a daily writing habit, he was still clocking in at his day job. Even at $40k/month in side income, he waited. For 15 months.

Most people would've quit the moment they hit $10k/month. Dickie tripled that and still showed up to work the next morning.

Why? In his words: "This meant I could make calm choices and not act out of scarcity."

That's the power of runway. When you're not desperate, you negotiate better, say no to bad deals, and build with a clear head.

Who this path is for:

• You can tolerate your current job for another 12-18 months

• You have dependents or major financial obligations

• You're already building something on the side with traction

The risk: Waiting too long. Golden handcuffs. Never feeling "ready."

What to do:

1. Set your freedom number: side income = 2-3x your salary for 3+ consecutive months

2. Track revenue consistency, not just peaks

3. Set a hard quit date to prevent endless waiting

2) The Jump Path

This is what I did.

At 22, I had a good bank job. And every day felt like a slow death. So I quit.

The immediate result? I had to pay back €15,000 in scholarship fees. No safety net. No backup plan.

Six months later, I'd covered the debt working with a gaming startup. That pattern repeated throughout my career: every time something didn't feel right, I walked away. And every time, that move created space for something better.

If I'd played it safe, none of this would've happened.

Who this path is for:

• You physically can't stay, your health or relationships are suffering

• You're young with no dependents

• You have high risk tolerance and trust yourself to figure it out

The risk: Financial stress can cloud your judgment. Desperation leads to bad decisions.

What to do:

1. Have 3-6 months of runway minimum (not 2-3x salary, but enough to survive)

2. Move fast once you jump, urgency is your asset

3. Say yes to everything early (at certain point, I even worked for free for 2 months)

3) How to Know Which Path Is Yours

Ask yourself these four questions:

• Can you tolerate your current job for 12-18 more months? (If no → Jump)

• Do you have dependents or major financial obligations? (If yes → Prepare)

• Are you building something on the side that's gaining traction? (If yes → Prepare)

• Is staying actively damaging your health or relationships? (If yes → Jump)

There's also a hybrid approach: prepare AND set a hard quit date. Whichever comes first, the revenue target or the date, you're out.

One thing works for both paths: niche down your offer. Dickie solved one specific problem for one specific person (helping beginner writers unlock opportunities through daily writing). I did the same with Hypefury (helping creators grow on social media). Generic offers fail. Specific ones scale.

Reinvesting in yourself works for both paths too. Dickie joined a $68k mastermind that helped him build a 7-figure business. The ROI of being in the right room is hard to calculate, but it's real.

What to do:

Answer the 4 questions honestly

1. If preparing: set a quit date AND a revenue target (whichever comes first)

2. If jumping: have 3-6 months of runway and move fast

3. Use Hypefury to build audience momentum before and after you jump

Both paths lead to the same place: full-time creator.

Neither is right. Neither is wrong. It depends on who you are.

Dickie waited. I jumped. We both built successful businesses.

The only wrong move is staying stuck in the middle.

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Meta Leans on User Surveys to Sharpen Reels Recommendations

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Let’s Grow on Threads Together

Growing on Threads is lonely. Big time!

I made a small community "Threads Together" so..

• We can help each other grow

• It's not boring

• We feedback and analyze together

Last poll: Which Platform Will Be the Best Place to Grow an Audience in 2026?

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 𝕏 (28.57%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 LinkedIn (28.57%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ TikTok

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ Instagram

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ A new AI-native social media platform

That’s it for now, everyone! We’ll meet again next week to discuss some more of this!

Don’t forget to try Hypefury (for free) if you haven’t yet.

Feel free to reply to this email. It goes directly to me.

Cheers,

Yannick Veys
Co-founder and CMO of Hypefury