From Layoff to Launch

You received the call. The meeting. The email. Your role is being eliminated. After years—maybe decades—of building expertise, navigating organizational politics, solving complex problems, and delivering results, you're suddenly outside looking in.

Here's something interesting: The moment you leave an organization, your perspective becomes more valuable, not less.

Here's where most displaced workers get stuck:

Here's what happens to most people with expertise:

You're not competing against other humans. You're competing against:

You don't need a big launch. You need your first customer.

You got your first few customers. You delivered real results. You proved the concept works. Now comes a different challenge: growing from a handful of clients to a real, sustainable business — without burning yourself out in the process.

In business, a "moat" is the thing that protects your business from competitors. The term comes from the water-filled trenches around medieval castles — they kept invaders out. In business, a moat keeps competitors from stealing your clients, copying your approach, or undercutting your prices.

You've built a working business. Clients are paying you. Revenue is predictable. The existential fear of "can I actually do this?" has been replaced by a more interesting question: "what do I want this business to become?"