Staged commitment

Break one big irreversible bet into a sequence of smaller ones, and let each stage buy information that decides whether the next stage happens. You pay for the plan in installments instead of writing the whole check on day one.

Break one big irreversible bet into a sequence of smaller ones, and let each stage buy information that decides whether the next stage happens. You pay for the plan in installments instead of writing the whole check on day one.

Example

Instead of resigning, you take three months at 60% time, then a three-month unpaid sabbatical, then quit. Each stage has an exit gate: if you haven't landed two paying clients by the end of stage two, stage three never starts.