I have a B2B idea related to my current field of practice. I’m employed by a large company and one of my fears is how to transition from my by-weekly paycheck into a risky (but high potential) venture? Has anyone been through a similar situation?

Yes. Practically everyone on this board has been here. The best thing you can do is make a pitch deck and gather as much feedback as possible on the idea from people within the industry before you jump.

It will answer your question. If you get a few people saying "that's pretty interesting" and you keep getting intros that escalate, keep going. If not, reconsider it.

Keep it under the radar but....Don't worry too much about people stealing it or telling your company, it's only a deck.

Also, a lot of it has to do with your runway. How far can you go without money? 3, 6, 9 months? Imagine that.

I was in the same boat. I quietly built the product and did everything I could using a different identity. Also, I took a demotion and switched to a work from home job to work on the idea. I am focussed on getting few customers, and as soon as I have them, I will start doing this full time.