So you're sitting in your corporate job, fantasising about the freedom of commission-based work. No more pointless meetings. No more asking permission to leave early. No more watching the clock and wondering why Wednesdays feel longer than other days. The idea of controlling your own income and building something that's genuinely yours is intoxicating. I get it. But here's what I need you to understand before you do something rash: the transition from salary to commission is absolutely achievable, but it requires planning that most people don't bother with. And those people tend to slink back to corporate jobs within eighteen months, pretending the whole adventure never happened.
Let me give you a twelve-month blueprint that actually works, assuming you're willing to be strategic rather than impulsive.
Before diving into the timeline, make sure you've honestly assessed whether commission-based work suits your personality and circumstances. Our Self-Assessment Guide will help you evaluate your fit.
Months 1 to 3: Laying the Groundwork (While Still Employed)
Do not, under any circumstances, quit your job yet. I cannot stress this enough. The first three months of your transition should happen entirely while you're still collecting that comfortable salary. This is when you do the unsexy but essential preparation work that will determine whether your transition succeeds or fails.
Start by getting brutally honest about your finances. Calculate your actual monthly expenses, not the optimistic version where you pretend you'll stop buying coffee and suddenly become disciplined about subscriptions. Include everything: mortgage or rent, insurance, food, transport, that gym membership you keep meaning to cancel, the kids' activities, all of it. Now multiply that by twelve. That's your survival number for the first year, and you need to have a significant portion of it saved before you make the leap.
The conventional wisdom says three months of expenses as a buffer. The conventional wisdom is wrong, or at least incomplete, for commission-based transitions. You should be aiming for six months minimum, and twelve months if you can manage it. Commission income doesn't start flowing the day you begin work. There's training, ramp-up time, and the lag between writing business and actually getting paid. If you're sweating about rent in month three, you'll make desperate decisions that undermine your long-term success.
While you're saving, start your education. Research the industry you're entering. Talk to advisers who are already doing the work. Understand the licensing requirements and start any study you can complete before you leave employment. Get your Level 5 sorted if you haven't already. The more preparation you complete while someone else is paying your bills, the faster you can hit the ground running when you transition.
Months 4 to 6: Making the Move
Assuming you've built your financial buffer and done your homework, months four through six are when you actually make the transition. Hand in your notice, complete your licensing requirements if you haven't already, and join a FAP that aligns with your goals and values.
Choosing the right FAP matters more than most new advisers realise. Don't just chase the highest commission split. Consider the training and support on offer, the culture, the systems and tools provided, and whether there are experienced advisers willing to mentor newcomers. A slightly lower split at an organisation that genuinely invests in your development is worth far more than a higher split at one that leaves you to figure everything out alone.
Your first weeks in the new role will feel overwhelming. You're learning systems, meeting people, absorbing information, and probably questioning every decision that led you here. This is normal. The corporate world gave you structure and certainty; the commission world gives you freedom and ambiguity. The adjustment takes time, and feeling uncomfortable doesn't mean you've made a mistake.
Focus these early months on learning rather than earning. Yes, you need to start building pipeline, but your primary job right now is to become competent. Shadow experienced advisers, ask endless questions, and resist the urge to rush into client meetings before you know what you're doing. The deals you write poorly now will haunt you for years through compliance issues and clawbacks.
Months 7 to 9: Finding Your Rhythm
By month seven, the initial overwhelm should be fading. You've got the basics down, you've probably written some business, and the complete terror of the first few months has settled into mere low-grade anxiety. Progress. Now comes the work of building sustainable habits and starting to see real results.
This is typically when former corporate employees face their biggest psychological challenge: the absence of external validation. In your old job, you had performance reviews, promotions, and managers telling you whether you were doing well. In commission work, the only feedback is your income, and that feedback is delayed and inconsistent. You can do everything right for a month and have nothing settle. You can have a lazy fortnight and then watch deals close from work you did ages ago.
Learning to trust your process rather than obsessing over immediate results is essential. Track your activity metrics religiously. If you're having the right number of conversations, making the right number of follow-ups, and maintaining consistent prospecting activity, the results will come. They just won't come on a predictable schedule, and you need to make peace with that. When the inevitable slow month arrives, don't panic—read How to Survive (and Thrive) During Your First Slow Month for practical strategies.
Use this phase to establish your referral networks seriously. Your corporate background gives you contacts and credibility. Reach out to former colleagues, clients, and connections who might need your services or know people who do. Many successful advisers build their initial client base substantially from their previous professional networks.
Months 10 to 12: Building for the Long Term
The final quarter of your first year should be about looking beyond survival. If you've followed this blueprint, you're no longer in crisis mode. You have income coming in, you understand how the business works, and you're starting to feel like you might actually belong in this industry. Now you need to start building the infrastructure for long-term success.
Review what's working and what isn't. Which prospecting activities generate the best results? Which referral relationships are actually producing? Where are you spending time that isn't translating into business? Be willing to cut activities that feel productive but aren't actually generating results. Your time is your most valuable resource now, and wasting it on low-yield activities is a luxury you can't afford.
Start thinking about your renewal book and client retention. The business you've written this year will start generating renewal income, but only if clients stay on the books. Implement proper review processes and client communication rhythms now, before your book gets too large to manage ad hoc.
Consider your professional development needs. Where are your knowledge gaps? What additional qualifications would strengthen your offering? The advisers who grow consistently are the ones who keep investing in their own capabilities rather than assuming they know enough.
The Bottom Line
Transitioning from corporate salary to commission freedom is one of the more significant career moves you can make. It's not for everyone, and there's no shame in discovering it's not for you. But for those who approach it strategically, build appropriate financial buffers, and commit to the learning curve, it offers something that corporate life rarely can: genuine autonomy and the opportunity to build something of lasting value.
The twelve months I've outlined here aren't a guarantee of success. Nothing is. But they're a framework that dramatically improves your odds, developed from watching what separates advisers who thrive from those who wash out. Follow the blueprint, stay patient when things get hard, and give yourself permission to be a beginner. In a year, you'll look back at your corporate self and wonder why you waited so long.
Just don't forget to actually save that buffer first. Seriously. That part isn't optional.