Become An Entrepreneur In Retirement

We met a very nice couple from New Jersey who have been retired for about five years.  They like many of the same things we do like fine dining, world travel and tickets to a play or concert every once in a while.  They had enough money to live but, once in a while, it became a bit costly to live the “high life” in the way that they liked.  After all, taking an extra cruise here and there is never a bad thing. So, a couple of years ago the wife decided to become an entrepreneur in retirement and started her own business.  After volunteering her time to the very successful thrift store at her church, she got an idea about starting her own little store on eBay.  Their church’s store does quite a big business because it is in a very wealthy neighborhood and the things that people donate are top quality merchandise with designer labels and collectibles going for unbelievably low prices.  When she saw a dress that she knew had retailed for over two thousand dollars and it still had the store label on it verifying that fact, she made the purchase and displayed the dress on her website.  She made a very quick five hundred dollars and launched their new career.  They now occupy themselves with trips to other stores in wealthy neighborhoods and still have some of their own collectibles to go through. One of their hobbies is making jewelry so they now have a place to sell it.  They’re making money and having a great time.

Have you ever thought of becoming an entrepreneur in retirement?  There are many ways to do it and the technology in existence today can give anyone the opportunity to build a financial empire as large as they want.  You don’t have to be a clothing or antiques re-seller.  There are many paths to follow in building a little side business that will give you more satisfaction than you might realize.  By now you probably have become aware of how much I like being retired and have absolutely no desire to go back to work.  But there is a big difference between a job and doing something that you truly enjoy and being able to do it whenever you want.  Someone I know always wanted to have a hot dog cart or a truck and work somewhere at a beach in the winter.  He had a few recipes for condiments that he had gotten a lot of compliments on, and he always wanted to try it out on the public.  I will be the first to admit that being a hot dog man might not be the most ambitious dream to most people, but I encouraged him every step of the way.  He lasted one winter in Florida, but he gave it a good try.  It wasn’t quite as satisfying as he thought and, while it was very nice to get compliments on his hot dog toppings, it became clear that Bob’s Cajun Relish was not going to take the world by storm.  He sold his cart, that he had bought used, for the same amount that he had paid for it and he had made a couple of hundred dollars every weekend.  He had sold a lot of hot dogs but only a couple of jars of sauce.  But the most important thing was that he had given it a try and was never sorry he did it.  That’s what retirement is all about.  You want to make sure that you give all of your dreams a fair shot.

Maybe you don’t want to become an entrepreneur in retirement but buried deep in your treasure chest of inner dreams you always thought you had a novel in you.  Or you had dreams of being on stage performing your own songs.  Or always wanted to learn how to paint.  Perhaps there’s a hidden chef in you or the thought of becoming the next Ben and Jerry’s or Tom Carvel of the ice cream market.  My father always dreamed about an ice cream store.  He might have eaten all of the profits, but he would have had a good time.  There are many people who fulfill their dream of becoming an entrepreneur in retirement.  A couple of wealthy people have become accomplished wine makers.  Greg Norman and Francis Ford Coppola truly enjoyed second careers with their own vineyards.  I had a picture of Fess Parker as Davy Crockett on my bedroom wall and was very curious when I sampled some of his wine in California.  It was quite good.

Why not turn your hobby into a business and become an entrepreneur in retirement?

You may not want to become an entrepreneur in retirement, but this is the time in your life when you want to make sure all of your fantasies and curiosities have been fully explored.  I have always enjoyed writing and knew that my activities in retirement would include some time at the keyboard.  I have written two novels that will never be published and might have another one in me somewhere, but I enjoy working on this website at the present time and the great part is that I can fit it into my schedule.  Many seniors have discovered the joys of having their own website and it’s a great way to leverage the experiences that you have had and help others make the most of their travel time, dining experiences or other recreational endeavors.  You can almost have your own teaching academy if you connect your website to a YouTube channel.  Almost any question can be answered by searching the internet and almost any activity you can think of by someone who has a website on the very subject you’re inquiring about.  So, the question is, why couldn’t that be you?  All it takes is a little push, so consider this at least a little nudge.  It’s never too late to decide to become an entrepreneur in retirement with your own website, eBay store or hot dog stand!  It will probably be more fun than you think, and it might even make a few dollars so why not give it a try?  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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