u/GotYaGotti

Sorry for the long read, just need some advice.

I’m looking for advice from safety professionals who have either made the jump into consulting full-time or have managed both worlds.

I’m currently a Safety Director for a general construction contractor in the south. It’s a good job with solid pay, benefits, and stability. I enjoy what I do and have built a good relationship with my employer.
On the side, I own a safety /staffing consulting company that’s been growing faster than I expected. We currently have an on-site contract where one of my safety professionals is already working full-time. The client now wants to add a second full-time safety professional to the same project.

This is where I’m stuck.

I could hire another consultant to fill that second position, which would allow me to continue working my W-2 job while making a profit from both consultants.

Or, I could leave my Director position and personally fill that second role myself. Financially, this would be much more lucrative because I wouldn’t be paying another consultant’s wages, which would dramatically increase cash flow and allow me to reinvest more money into growing the business. My thought is that having that additional capital could help me hire more people, pursue larger contracts, and scale the company much faster than I could while keeping my W-2 job.

The obvious downside is giving up the stability, benefits, and guaranteed paycheck that come with being a Safety Director.

For those of you who own consulting/ staffing businesses or have been in a similar position:

Would you have worked the second contract yourself or hired another consultant?

At what point did you know it was time to leave your W-2 job?

Did personally working contracts help you grow your business faster, or did it end up limiting your ability to focus on growth?
Looking back, what financial or business milestones made you confident enough to make the leap?

Thank you!