Brett Trainor

Corporate quit on me almost 6 years ago. Best thing that ever happened.
I spent 25+ years building my life around my job—chasing promotions, convinced loyalty mattered. Until the day I realized: corporate doesn't care about you. It never did.

Here's what I learned: You don't have to do this alone.

WHY I BUILT THE ESCAPEE COLLECTIVE
5 million people got laid off last year. Most of them are doing the same thing right now: applying to hundreds of jobs, waiting for someone to pick them.

Here's the problem: You have zero control.
What if you flipped that?
What if, instead of finding another corporate job, you built something for yourself? With people who actually show up for you?
That's what The Escapee Collective is for.

HOW IT WORKS
The Collective isn't a course. It's not a mastermind. It's live, human support for people escaping corporate—whether you're still planning, just laid off, or already building.
What makes it different:

Live sessions with people at your stage (not pre-recorded videos you'll never watch)
Real accountability from peers who care about your progress (not just Slack messages)
Member-led workshops where Escapees share what's actually working (not gurus selling formulas)

You learn from people a few steps ahead. You build with people at your stage. You help people behind you.
It's peer-to-peer. It's life-first. It's $20/month.

WHO IT'S FOR
You're an Escapee the moment you decide corporate isn't forever—whether you're still there planning your exit or already building your business.

The Collective is for:
-> People still in corporate who know something's off
-> People recently laid off figuring out what's next
-> People building solo who don't want to do it alone

Not ready to join yet? Download the FREE Starter Kit—5Fs Framework, planning tools, and a walkthrough to help you figure out if escape is your path.

THE BOTTOM LINE
You don't need another job application. You need your people.
The Escapee Collective is where you find them—live sessions, real relationships, and support that actually shows up.

Join for $20/month. First 30 days for $1.

Let's Get Busy Living—together.
✌️ Brett

CEO and Founder

My Personal Holding Company for all of my business activities

Some of the loneliest people I know are still in corporate.

Not because they don’t have coworkers or Slack channels…
…but because they don’t have anyone they can talk to about the one thing that’s actually on their mind:
“Corporate is broken. I don’t think this life is for me.
But I have no idea what my options are.”

When corporate quit on me, I knew I wasn’t going back.
But I also didn’t know who I could say that out loud to.

No one at work.
No one in my personal life who really got it.
So I did what a lot of us do: I built my solo business (and my new life) in isolation.

Not because I wanted to be a lone wolf.
Because I didn’t know where the other escapees were.

Looking back, that was my biggest mistake without a doubt.

The hard part wasn’t strategy or tactics.
I could figure out offers, pricing, funnels, content.

The hard part was having no peer group.
No one to sanity‑check the crazy ideas.
No one to say “you’re not insane, corporate is the problem.”
No one who understood the mix of fear, relief, and guilt that hits when you finally step off the treadmill.

Two years ago I started The Escapee Collective thinking the value would be frameworks, playbooks, and systems.

We have those. They help.

But the thing I didn’t expect—the thing that’s been most valuable for me—is much simpler:
Having a modern peer group of people who are also escaping corporate and building a life‑first future.

People I can be honest with.
People who’ve been laid off, walked away, or are planning their exit.
People who will listen, push back, and share their scars so I don’t have to earn all of mine the hard way.

Selfishly, The Escapee Collective has become my greatest resource.

The strategies and tactics matter.
But the real unlock has been not doing this alone.

If you’re still in corporate, feeling like you’re on an island, wondering if you’re the only one thinking “there has to be a better way”:

You’re not!

DM me if you are interested in a mini-strategy session to see what your options are or just join the Collective: $1 for 30 days of unlimited sessions

Talks about #ceo, #careercoach, #privateequity, #businessowners, and #personaldevelopment

Corporate is broken. You’re not. | Helping 1M corporate escapees build life‑first businesses (without doing it alone) | Founder, The Escapee Collective | Host, The Corporate Escapee Podcast (top 2.5% globally)

The biggest mistake people make when leaving corporate?
Trying to figure it out alone.

The Escapee Collective just turned 1 year old. 🎉(hard to believe!)
After working with 100+ members, one thing is clear:

Community matters.
But being around people at the same stage matters more.

That’s where confidence turns into action.

I also saw a gap.

A lot of people are still in corporate.
Some were recently laid off.
Others are quietly preparing without pressure to “go all in.”

Frameworks help.
But momentum comes from people.

So we refreshed the Collective around stages and peer groups, not vibes.

Introducing Escapee Curious Sessions
A safe space for people still employed (or recently laid off) to talk timing, runway, and what’s actually possible — without forcing a leap.

We now run milestone sessions at every stage.
-> Escapee Curious.
-> $3K/month.
-> $10K/month.
-> $25K+.

One membership. Full access.

$20/month. Unlimited sessions. 

We are making it easy for new members- $1 for 30 days to attend as many sessions as you want.

👉 Sign up here: https://bit.ly/4bhFAh9 

P.S. If you’ve been solo for 3+ years and want to help others escape, we’re launching an Ambassador program. Message me.

Corporate is Broken. You’re Not. | Helping 1M escapees build life-first businesses (without doing it alone) | Founder, The Escapee Collective | Host, The Corporate Escapee Podcast (Top 2.5% globally)

"The most pernicious trade independent builders make is trading time for money."

That's Sam Lee (IndeCollective)  on this week's episode of the Corporate Escapee podcast.

And if you're thinking about going solo but you're stuck on "how do I actually make this work?"—this episode is for you.

Here's what we covered:
→ Why the "side hustle first" approach builds confidence and reduces risk
→ The simple sales story that unlocks referrals: Client → Problem → Outcome
→ How to activate your network without sounding awkward or salesy
→ Why "fractional" isn't always the fastest path to revenue (and what is)
→ Sam's 3-part productization path: Niche down, solve painkiller problems, build a portfolio

The big idea:
Most people get stuck trading time for money.
The goal isn't just to escape corporate. It's to build a portfolio career—consulting, coaching, fractional work, productized services—that doesn't cap your income or burn you out.

Sam's been doing this for 10+ years and built $1M+ in annual revenue.
He breaks down exactly how to do it—while you're still employed.

Key quote:
"Nobody is hiring a generalist right now. They want been-there-done-that experts. Trial and error at this stage of your career is expensive."

If you know corporate isn't for you but you can't see a clean exit, listen to this.
It's a roadmap.

🎙️ Episode: "You Don’t Need to Quit to Escape: Build Your Exit on the Side w/ Sam Lee"

Link in comments

Podcasting isn’t just content.

It might be the smartest side door out of corporate.

My latest guest, Mark Hayward, spent 14 years at PwC and KPMG.
He started a podcast while still in corporate — not to make money, but to:
-> build confidence
-> find his voice
-> open new conversations

That one move quietly led to consulting, experimentation, and eventually a business built around podcasts.

I am a big believer in the power of podcasting. I also started mine while still in corporate. It was the first "thing" I owned and controlled in the corporate world in over a decade. 

Big takeaway:
1. You don’t need a perfect escape plan.
2. You need momentum and better conversations.

Podcasting can be one of those doors.

🎧 New episode: Why Podcasting Might Be the Smartest Side Door Out of Corporate

Link in comments or search for The Corporate Escapee podcast on your favorite platform.

Curious: what would you talk about if you started a podcast?

A little light reading for those of you dreading your work week!

Most corporate escapees don’t fail because they’re not smart enough.

They fail because of two things:
-> They don’t get a meaningful first win (client, project, real money) soon enough.
-> They try to navigate the whole journey in isolation—alone at a laptop, in their own head.

After a year of running the The Escapee Collective for a year, 330+ episodes of the podcast and hundreds (maybe even a thousand) of conversations, those patterns are hard to unsee.

The people who move fastest aren’t necessarily more talented. They just:
Shorten the learning curve with peers and feedback.
Refuse to do the hard parts alone.

In my latest solo episode, I break down:
Why “I’ll just figure it out myself” quietly kills a ton of escape attempts.
How the lack of a quick early win wrecks confidence and momentum.
What the people who do make it out (and stay out) consistently do differently.

If you’re still in corporate and planning an exit, recently laid off, or already out but feeling stuck, this one’s for you.
🎧 Listen here: https://bit.ly/49XQfeX

Take advantage of this offer. We now have monthly, live peer groups so you can share and learn with folks in the same stage as you.

In case you missed it....we are now offering access to the Collective for 30 days for only $1 this includes unlimited sessions! 

After 30 days the monthly cost is $20 and btw this will be your cost for life even when we increase prices. 

This is the perfect space for still in corporate, laid off or if you have already gone solo.  Our goal to provide education, inspiration and support through live events. This includes both online and IRL.
Here is the link: https://lnkd.in/g-xrbg_4

Anyone that joins and then DMs me in the community I will share with you the Escapee Playbook.

If you’ve been thinking about leaving corporate but the risk feels too big……
this episode of the Corporate Escapee Podcast gives you a smarter way to look at it.

I sit down with Alex Smereczniak, a former EY consultant who left corporate early, built a high-growth business in the laundry space, and later launched Franzy —a platform designed to make franchising easier to research and navigate.

This conversation covers the mindset shift that helps people stop overestimating the risk of leaving, plus why franchising can be an underrated “business with guardrails” path for escapees who want ownership without building from scratch.

Big takeaways:
-> Most people overestimate the risk of leaving corporate: The real risk is staying dependent on one employer.

-> You don’t need a perfect plan: You need small wins and momentum—then you adjust.

-> Franchising can be a fast path to ownership: because you start with a proven playbook, support, and guardrails.

-> Ownership builds equity: A job pays you, but it doesn’t typically create an asset you can sell.

Also, Alex may have set the record for the quickest corporate escape- 1 year in he knew that was not the path for him!

Check out the episode on Spotify here: https://lnkd.in/gSuzhzH4 

You can also search for The Corporate Escapee Podcast on your favorite podcast platform.

If you enjoy the pod, please do like and subscribe. It helps us reach more escapees.

Thanks

If you are curious about escaping corporate and wondering if going solo is for you, then you should join me Thursday at 5pm central for a free webinar.

I will share with you:
-> Who is successful and why (outside of corporate)
-> The keys to success- these may surprise you
-> Share a blueprint with you on how to get started

Link to regiester: https://luma.com/vm5wxkkv  

DM me with any questions!

I had some fun with this one but it is surprisingly accurate. Let me know what you think!

Do you know that corporate is broken or it is not a system for you but feel stuck? Join me for a live webinar on Life After Corporate. I will give you the blueprint on how take control of your career and see if going solo is for you.

Most people don’t have a skill problem.
They have a positioning problem.

In crowded markets, sounding like everyone else forces you to compete on attention and price.

On January 21 at 1:00pm CT, I’ll be joining a panel on Category Positioning: How to Become the Only Choice, Not One of Many.

A lot of what I’ll share comes from building and repositioning The Corporate Escapee — and the adjustments you have to make when your message isn’t landing the way you expected.

We’ll cover:

-> Why differentiation isn’t enough anymore
-> What category positioning actually means
-> How to clarify your message so people “get it” instantly
-> How strong positioning builds trust without constant selling

If you’re a creator, consultant, coach, or founder who’s tired of blending in, this will be a practical, strategic session.

👉 Join us: https://bit.ly/3Nio9Du

Join us tomorrow to talk about the broken system but more importantly what you can do about it

I help late‑career professionals go fractional without burning down their lives | Voyageur University

Fractional. That's what. Join Brett Trainor and I as we talk about the broken corporate 9-5 model and the new Fractional model as a way to be far, far happier, healthier and wealthier in your career. Click here for details. 

Weds 2 pm CT. https://lnkd.in/gQubS7s8

The hardest part of escaping corporate isn’t “finding the perfect plan.”
It’s trying to figure it out alone with no real starting point.

I hear the same thing over and over from escapees:
“No one in my life gets what I’m trying to do.”
“My friends think I’m crazy for leaving a ‘good job’.”
“I went solo to get freedom, but now I miss having people to talk to every day.”

That’s why I built The Escapee Collective — a private community for current and future corporate escapees who don’t want to do this journey alone.

In an increasingly digital and AI‑driven world, we still believe in real, human‑to‑human connection.

The Collective is built on real relationships with people at every stage of the escapee journey.

Inside, you get:
-> Monthly peer groups with folks at your same stage:
      -> Still in corporate
      -> Around $3K/month
      -> Around $10K/month
      -> Around $25K/month
-> Ideation sessions and office hours
-> Monthly member‑led and expert‑led interactive learning sessions
-> Weekly accountability sessions

All of our sessions are live, small‑group, and conversation‑first — not passive webinars.

We’re also hosting our first in‑person event in the Chicagoland area next month, with more cities planned for spring and summer.

Right now, we run 20+ sessions per month, and you can pick and choose the ones that fit your stage and schedule.

I’m making this as low‑risk as possible:
-> First month is $1
-> Unlimited sessions
-> If it’s not for you, cancel in two clicks, no hard feelings
After that, it’s $20/month locked in for life

If you’re either:
-> Still in corporate and secretly plotting your escape, or
-> Already out, but missing having “your people”

Click the link in my bio or featured section, or just DM me and I’ll send you the link with the $1 first‑month offer.

You don’t have to do this alone!

This seems like a good topic as folks head back to the reality of their corporate jobs.

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