Financial Feminist
Financial Feminist
Her First $100K
275. Roadmap to Quitting Your Job and Building a Business in 2026 with Sam Vander Wielen
50 minutes Posted Feb 24, 2026 at 10:00 am.
Intro
The Happiness Myth
Why We Tie Happiness to Milestones
What a Business Can (and Can’t) Give You
Money as a Tool for Safety and Choice
Sam’s Corporate Law Wake-Up Call
The Stability Myth of Corporate Jobs
Planning a Real Exit From Your 9–5
Legal Basics for Starting a Business
Why Entrepreneurship Doesn’t Fix Your Life
Redefining Success Before You Leap
0:00
50:50
Download MP3
Show notes
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 
Visit ⁠https://herfirst100k.com/ffpod⁠ to see the show notes and read the transcript of this episode!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices