Trailing evidence, not projections

Most people go full-time on a forecast.
The safer approach uses trailing data.

The decision to go full-time should be based on trailing evidence, not projections. Most people make this decision on a forecast: ‘If I had more time to produce curriculum, I could earn X.’ This is a projection based on assumptions — about your ability to produce at a higher rate, about the market's appetite for more of your curriculum, about your ability to sustain production without a school structure around you. These assumptions may be correct. They are also unproven.

The right time to go full-time is when doing so is likely to be the next step in a successful business — not when you need it to be the step that makes the business successful.
P9 · Teacher entrepreneur — C7 · Scaling up
The three financial signals

All three should be met.
Two out of three is not enough.

1️⃣Your business earns 60–70% of your target full-time income — from your part-time work, not from projections
If your target full-time income is €40,000/year and your curriculum business currently earns €24,000–28,000 part-time, you have trailing evidence that the business can reach €40,000 with additional time investment. If it currently earns €8,000 part-time, going full-time is unlikely to produce a fivefold increase.
2️⃣Your income has been growing consistently for 6+ months — not a spike, a trend
A single strong month (a school adopted your entire catalogue) is not a signal to go full-time. Six months of consistent month-on-month growth is. A growing business at €24,000/year is a much safer transition than a volatile business averaging €30,000 with high variance.
3️⃣You have 6 months of personal financial runway — separate from business income
The first 6 months after going full-time are the highest-risk period. Your production rate will increase, but adoption rate lags production by 1–3 months. Having 6 months of personal runway means you can sustain the production increase without the income pressure of needing immediate results.
The runway calculation

Calculate before you decide.
Not after.

📊The runway calculation
Monthly personal expenses (rent, food, bills, insurance): [X]
Current monthly business income: [Y]
Monthly shortfall (X − Y): [Z]
Savings available: [S]
Runway in months: S ÷ Z = [months]

Target: at least 6 months runway before going full-time. 12 months is comfortable. Less than 6 months is high-risk.