Made redundant at 45+: turning a payout into a runway
A redundancy payout at 45+ is, statistically, the most common way UK founders fund the first 12 months of a new venture. It's also the one most often blown on the wrong things in the first 60 days. Here's the discipline that turns it into 18 months of real runway.
The first discipline is separation. Two bank accounts from day one — personal runway and business capital — and they don't mix. Founders who blur this almost always run out of both at once.
Aim for 18 months of personal burn covered before you put a pound into the business. That's the period where the data shows whether the venture has signal or doesn't.
First 30 days should be structural-change-free. Decompress, talk to ten people who knew you before the redundancy, write down what you actually want from the next ten years. The pivot to "starting a business" comes after that conversation, not before.
UK founders 45+ have one structural advantage younger founders don't: network density. Use it before you spend.
“A redundancy at 45 isn't the end of a career. It's the most honest startup capital you'll ever raise.”
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