I was unemployed/laid off for about 2 years prior to this past fall when I purchased my business. It happened very quickly. I was working all over the place, in great demand, then events stopped coming in. As an extra employee for events, and a small business caterer/staffer, I was first to go. I was pretty well prepared, financially [[who could ever be fully prepared for the blood bath of Wall Street?) but was poorly prepared, emotionally, for full retirement.