Laid Off, Not Done: The Two-Door Jumpstart for Gen X
Unemployed and tired of shouting into the void? Spend one afternoon with three people who've been where you are. You'll leave with the tools and the confidence to land your next role, your first customer, or both.
Hosted by The Escapee Collective.
HERE'S THE TRUTH NOBODY TELLS YOU
Landing a job and landing your first customer are the same skill: someone with a problem says yes to you.
So you don't have to pick a lane. You can work both doors at once, and whichever one opens first wins.
STOP DOING WHAT DOESN'T WORK
Most people in a search spend 80% of their time on things that don't move it. Hundreds of applications. Rewriting the resume for the 417th time. Tweaking LinkedIn. Buying a logo for a business that doesn't have a customer yet.
We teach only the 20% that works. Everything else, you have our permission to stop.
WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH
The corporate door, with Don
Landing your next role is a sales process, not an application process. Applying feels like progress. Being referred is progress.
Aim at the right level, not the first opening. Taking a title below where you were doesn't shorten the search. It resets it.
You're not "too experienced." You're underpackaged. Once you can say your value in one sentence someone else can repeat, the conversations start.
The solo door, with Brett
It's an offer, not a business. No LLC, logo or website needed. Just one problem you solve and one person willing to pay for it.
Your first customer already knows you. Start with who you know, not who you don't.
Confidence shows up after the first yes, not before. Break the seal and the belief follows.
Your network, with Hana
Your personal brand starts with the story you want people to remember about you.
You can grow your brand without selfies or oversharing. Authenticity is not a brand strategy.
Ignore the algorithm. Be intentional about how you build your neighborhood.
WHAT WE'LL ACTUALLY DO
Get your value into one sentence. You'll build your Value Statement live, the one tool that feeds both doors.
Work the corporate door. How 45+ hiring really works and how to get referred in.
Work the solo door. What a first offer looks like and who your first customer probably is.
Turn it into LinkedIn and outreach. Your headline, your story and your network, put to work.
Send one message before you leave. Not homework. You'll do it live, with us in the room.
You leave with a Value Statement, a list of 10 real people to reach, and one message already sent.
WHAT YOU GET
2.5 hours live with Brett, Don and Hana
The Two-Door workbook with every tool from the session
30 days in a private Space to ask the three of us questions and connect with others in the cohort
Membership in The Escapee Collective, the home for corporate Gen X
THIS IS FOR YOU IF
You've been laid off and the search isn't moving
You've thought about going solo but don't know where to start
You're done waiting for permission and want a plan you can start on today
It's not for you if you want a resume rewrite or a five-year business plan. This is about getting into real conversations, fast.
YOUR HOSTS, ALL ESCAPEES
Brett Trainor: bretttrainor
Escaped corporate six years ago after two decades in sales and marketing. Has built 17 income streams since, and shares everything he's learned so you don't make the same mistakes. Host of Brett Trainor Unplugged.
Don Oehlert: donoehlert
Executive Career coach who works exclusively with professionals 45+ who want to land their next corporate role. Beat ageism and develop powerful, concise positioning messaging. Interview coach & author
Hana Kim: hanakim
Brand strategist, writer, and attorney. Walked away from a pension and VP title with a barely there LinkedIn profile. Built her personal brand one post at a time and can show you how.
QUESTIONS
Do I have to want to start a business?
No. Plenty of people come for the corporate door alone. The solo door is there if you want it, and the same skills help with both.
Why $295 when I'm out of work?
Because one afternoon aimed at the right 20% beats three more months of applications. And you get 30 days of access to us afterward, not just an afternoon.