But why would someone take a 40+% pay cut by choice? That time must be more valuable than money. There are plenty of reasons besides laziness why this might be true. 

What started as a step back became a growth hack. When it came time to brand my service, I knew exactly what I was good at, where there was a gap, and what people would pay for. 

I was sending out resumes, but I was having a really hard time breaking back into the corporate world. I was typecast as "out to recess." No one wanted to give me a chance at a "serious" job.