A couple who quit their 9-to-5s and built a 7-figure net worth say their first step to financial independence had nothing to do with money

Kelan and Brittany Kline built an online business that allowed them to quit their 9-to-5s.

Kelan Kline Kelan and Brittany Kline say financial independence starts with defining your ideal life.

They worked backward from that vision to build a scalable online business.

Their advice: get aligned, make a plan, and start before you feel fully ready.

Kelan and Brittany Kline were newly married, carrying roughly $40,000 in student-loan debt, and working jobs with schedules that rarely overlapped.

The couple, who met in high school in Rochester, New York, were earning steady paychecks — Kelan as a jail deputy and Brittany as an elementary school teacher — but they didn't feel particularly in control of their time or finances.

One night at the dinner table, they confronted that stress.

"We sat down and said, 'This is not working,'" Kelan told Business Insider.

"We kind of just had this brainstorm of, 'What's working? What's not working? Where are our finances at?'" That conversation helped set them on a different path.

They launched a personal finance blog, The Savvy Couple , which evolved into a seven-figure online business and eventually enabled them to leave their jobs.

The couple said their household net worth — including the estimated value of their businesses, investments, and primary residence — surpassed $1 million in 2020.

Business Insider reviewed a screenshot from their Rocket Money account showing a current seven-figure net worth.

Looking back, they say the first step toward financial independence wasn't opening an investment account or cutting expenses.

It was getting clear on what they wanted — and then building a plan to get there.