Talk about being unemployable, the twenty plus year veteran. The man who climbed up through the ranks of the corporate ladder, learning all the ropes, understanding what works and what does not work, the man with invaluable experience, contacts, knowledge and who knows how to do it, out looking for a job.

Unfortunately the bottom line is very very cold and if the numbers look bad the axe comes out and hacks away payroll expense often irrespective of the quality of the talent being axed. It knows only one thing, hack away expenses, return the company to profitability, at all costs.

This coupled with outright corporate failure, mergers and acquisitions and any number of good or bad reasons can cost you your job late in your very successful career.

You are unemployable, you soon learn, despite your skill, experience and knowledge. You are too expensive, too old, and easy to replace at half the cost. ‘We will get by’ they think, they are very sorry indeed but the corporate axe occasionally must fall where no one wants but no one is immune.

If it falls on you, what is next for you? What will you do? You still have a family to care for, a mortgage to pay, two car payments, health insurance and college educations…You are used to a reasonably high income and now have only the severance package, which while generous, will eventually end…then what.

After the shock, pain, self incrimination, and self doubt  turns into the reality, that you must find a way to replace your income despite the obstacles, it becomes clear there is no choice. Reducing your overhead is near impossible as you are quite locked into a particular life style which cannot easily be reduced significantly or even moderately changed. What is your plan?

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Present a cost efficient consulting relationship  proposal to your previous employer providing them with the core of what you gave them but at a quarter of the price. In essence you are going in to the consulting  business and your first client will be the business that just fired you. You will convince them you can provide the majority of their objectives on a smaller budget and with fewer hours devoted, as an independent contractor, as a consultant.

You may find this proposal accepted with open arms, as the business gets your best and has cut the  budget by three quarters, not bad.

You then must sell additional consulting relationships to other businesses in the same industry making up your  lost salary with a half dozen clients and soon finding ways to expand beyond previous levels of earning. In other words convert your skill, knowledge and contacts into a successful consulting business within the very industry you have spent your life working…why not? It makes sense.

2. Communicate with the manufacturers and importers, see if they would consider using you as a broker to sell their goods. You know everyone and your reputation is extremely good, your opinion and knowledge will serve as  a huge sales advantages. …Become a major broker for the industry at large.

3. Ge a job with a manufacture to promote their sales and sales development, up or down the vertical industry chain, manufacturers,  distributors, importers, retail chains…consult with them on a variety of projects and subjects, represent, solve their problems, build  their organizations…you have done it…do it again as a consultant not as an employee. Move to a different part of the  vertical chain and leverage your skills in different ways. Consider how valuable your knowledge and contacts may be for others in your industry.

4. Consider the trade organization, and trade show or  if none exists, start one, and  provide a  variety of services you can develop into something profitable, leveraging who and what you know and the respect and reputation  you have earned. Your past accomplishments  will propel anything you offer  to success in your new enterprise.

5. Buy a business, a retail store, a chain, a manufacturer, an importer. Do not let money get in your way, its an asset sale and can be designed to pay for itself…It is a great way to launch your skills into an immediately successful business venture. Make an existing business better…You know how.

6. Since you know what the industry really needs and now you can develop and deliver, be original, do it…fulfill your dream. Its never to late.  Be bold. Let it happen. Only a man with your experience would know what it is that the industry needs and therefor can accomplish the mission and satisfy the need.

7. Write the book, the manual, the how to do it, the expose, the white paper. Create a web site and the blog…promote, teach and earn…whatever it may be.

8. Open a new business, have the industry finance you.

Do all of this while you are looking for a job  in your field and whatever happens first is what you do.

But be careful, capitalizing on what and who you know and the experience you have and creating a business out of it,  entrepreneurship, its called, may be addictive. Once tasted you cannot go back…you must go forward.

You posses the most valuable commodity of all, knowledge and experience. Figure out how to parlay that into a successful business venture and you will have re-invented yourself. Nice work.

You may not have any other option, it may be your only way to survive. Do not wait too long.

Your value diminishes the longer it takes you to resurface.

Be brave and do it, what choice do you have?