How I Left My Job: A Corporate Exit Strategy for Women Enrepreneurs

Women Over 40 Are Starting Businesses in Record Numbers: What Does That Really Mean?

A shift is happening in today’s workforce, and it’s louder than statistics can show. Women over 40, experienced, skilled, and ready for more, are leaving traditional careers behind and choosing entrepreneurship.

This isn’t impulsive. It’s not the pandemic-era “Great Resignation,” when many walked out without a plan. This is different. We’ve thought long and hard about what we want life to look like, and we’re stepping into business ownership with clarity and purpose.

Why Now?

For many of us, corporate life has stopped delivering. The grind, the lack of autonomy, the glass ceilings, it all adds up to a realization: work, as it’s been defined, is no longer enough.

What we want instead is:

- Personal freedom – to control our time and energy.

- Flexibility – to design work that fits our lives, not the other way around.

- Meaning – to build something that matters, beyond a paycheck.

- Impact – to create businesses that solve problems and leave a legacy.

And we’re not coming in empty-handed. We bring education, leadership experience, networks, and critical thinking sharpened over years of navigating demanding industries. These are not “shoestring start-ups.” These are intentional launches, built on solid foundations.

My Story: The Apple Juice or Pantyhose Moment

I remember times when I was working for someone else and there wasn’t enough money. My son was small, and I would stand in the grocery store aisle asking myself: Should I put back the apple juice or the pantyhose? I needed both. 

That choice may sound small, but it carried the weight of everything I was juggling. The apple juice meant taking care of my child’s needs. The pantyhose meant showing up polished and professional for a job that demanded I look the part, even when the paycheck behind it barely stretched far enough. Neither felt optional, yet something had to go back on the shelf. (And I put back the pantyhose, that’s a blog for another time!) 

Moments like that etched a kind of resolve in me. I didn’t want to live in a place where survival meant sacrificing one necessity for another. Even years later, when I had moved into a jet-set corporate leadership role, I realized I was still trapped in a different version of that same decision. The titles and travel perks looked impressive from the outside, but inside, I felt the same lack of control over my time, my energy, and my ability to be emotionally present for myself and my family.

That’s when I knew: there had to be something more.

My Story: When “In-House” Wasn’t About Me

Entrepreneurship gave me freedom, but it also came with hard lessons. I remember investing deeply in a client, only to have them decide to bring my work “in-house to save money.”

On paper, it made sense to them. To me, it felt like being fired for doing my job well. I had delivered results, returns that looked strong in black and white, but it didn’t matter. I was being sacrificed for decisions that had nothing to do with my actual skillset and everything to do with budget lines I couldn’t control.

It stung. And worse, it made me realize I no longer wanted to have to justify my value to clients who couldn’t even see it.

That moment shifted everything. Just being an entrepreneur wasn’t enough anymore. I wanted more than contracts and invoices. I wanted meaning, satisfaction, and a way to go all in without being disposable.

That’s how LAUNCH was born.

The Missing Piece: Community

Even with experience and vision, entrepreneurship can be isolating. Too often, we’re pointed toward surface-level networking groups that prioritize exchanging cards instead of exchanging strategies.

What’s missing is a community designed for builders. A place where we can share knowledge, collaborate intentionally, and focus on growth that matters.

That’s what LAUNCH was created for.

The LAUNCH VIP Community is the hub. It’s not just about making connections, it’s about equipping women entrepreneurs with the clarity and tools needed to thrive. Inside, you’ll find:

- Digital literacy training – so you don’t feel left behind in a technology-driven marketplace.

- Snippets from the LAUNCH Marketing Framework – one strategic system that takes the guesswork out of how to show up, attract the right clients, and grow with intention.

- Workshops and mini-courses – short, powerful lessons available 24/7, designed to fit into your schedule, not mine.

- Accountability and support – so you’re not building alone, and you have others to lean on when challenges arise.

- A culture of intention – no guessing, no wasted time, just purposeful conversations that help you grow.

LAUNCH isn’t another casual networking circle. It’s a movement of women entrepreneurs over 40 who are ready to build businesses that solve problems, create impact, and leave legacies.

A Movement, Not a Moment

The rise of women 40+ choosing entrepreneurship is more than a statistic, it’s a movement. And movements thrive in community, not isolation.

If you’re one of us, if you feel that pull to build something bigger, you don’t have to do it alone.

Welcome to LAUNCH. This is where our next chapter begins.