She Left Corporate in Her Early 50s and Replaced Her Six-Figure Salary in Year One

Learn how to start a consulting business from Jen Thompson, who turned her corporate M&A expertise into a business that out-earns her old salary after a career change at 50. Have you ever built something so good inside your company that everyone came to you for it, and wondered why you couldn't build it for yourself? In this episode, I'm joined by Jen Thompson, a former project management leader who created her company's M&A Center of Excellence and now runs her own M&A integration consulting business. After she was passed over for promotion, Jen stopped waiting on her company. She raised her hand for a voluntary severance package with her next step already planned, and her first year of starting a consulting business looked nothing like her second. Jen and I also talk about what finally brought her husband on board, and what corporate burnout had been costing her long before she left. Jen came into this with no sales experience, which is exactly why her approach to finding clients is worth hearing. Here's what you'll learn: How to start a consulting business while you're still employed, the way - Jen did it in one summer How to become a consultant in the exact work you already do for your - employer Where most of Jen's clients come from, and why she's never needed to be an online influencer How long it took Jen to match her corporate income after a career change at 50 What Jen tells a friend in her late 50s about what to do after being laid off Why Jen doesn't start work until 9:30, and what she does before then You've probably spent years listing the reasons a career change after 50 is too risky. Jen's story puts the other list in front of you, the sleep, the health, and the friendships that staying was costing her, and what leaving corporate America gave back. Here's to building for yourself what you've built for everyone else, Sarah Connect with Sarah Free Masterclass: https://herbigleap.live/watch Website: https://herbigleap.com Podcast Instagram:   / herbigleappodcast   Sarah's Instagram:   / thesarahjanzen   YouTube:    / @herbigleap   Facebook:   / the.sarah.janzen   Work with Sarah Still good at your job and done doing it for a company you don't believe in? My free masterclass walks you through how to package what you already know into paid work, so you can plan your exit on your own timeline. Watch it at https://herbigleap.live/watch. Connect with Jen Website: https://jtconsultinginnovations.com/ Linkedin:   / jendepietrothompson   Enjoyed this episode? If this episode has you counting what staying is costing you, follow the show. Each week, you'll hear how women who left six-figure jobs turned what they already knew into paying work, how long it took them to replace their salary, and how they picked their last day. Leave a review too, so the next woman weighing the same decision can find those answers. CHAPTERS 00:00 Intro 03:36 Getting passed over for promotion after building the M&A Center of Excellence 06:15 How to become a consultant in the work you already do 10:51 Putting her name in for a voluntary severance package 14:17 What corporate burnout was costing her at home 16:22 Where most of her clients come from without being an online influencer 21:33 Why she doesn't start work until 9:30 33:03 Where to find Jen 39:01 What to do after being laid off in your 50s 40:08 How long it took to match her corporate income after a career change at 50