Entrepreneurship After Fifty is 10% Business and 90% Life Changing

Entrepreneurship after fifty isn’t just about starting a business. In fact, the ‘business’ part of it is small in comparison to the impact it will have on your entire life.

Launching a business in midlife is about tapping your life experiences and talents to create a sense of freedom and individuality. The livelihood that comes with it is a bonus.

I didn’t choose entrepreneurship. It chose me after a layoff. I simply couldn’t stomach the idea of working for someone else again. I had done that for decades.

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Once I figured out what I wanted to do and launched a successful online business I made a startling discovery. I realized I wasn’t running a business.

I was running a new life.  And, I loved it.

I certainly hadn’t been unhappy in my job. I had just been.

Let’s be honest. It’s easy to fall into the rhythm of our life, especially if everything’s going ‘okay’.  The problem is that ‘okay’ is just ‘okay’. Then something big happens and we’re startled awake. We suddenly feel the rut we’re in and there’s a desperate need to get out. It can be suffocating.

For me, starting a business was my wake-up call.

Admittedly, in the beginning having my own business was really about business. It was challenging. There was a new learning curve around every corner and I had to figure new things out every day. It felt great.

Once the biggest learning curves were finally behind me is when I began to notice something was different. I was excited to get up in the morning. I couldn’t stop talking about this and that about my business. I got lost in my work and would lose track of time. I had a new energy.

What was different? Everything. Entrepreneurship after 50 changes your life.

I was getting to use skills and interests from so many different parts of my life, passions that I had forgotten about. They had been pushed aside to make room for the ‘must-do’s’ of my career.

I literally had forgotten how much I loved to do certain things. When I found I was able to do them again something came alive in me.

Suddenly I got to write the way I wanted to write, not just in professional speak.

I got to be creative again, working on my business’s branding and graphics. I remembered how much I loved color. I spent hours and hours on my vision board.

I was making up for lost time.  

Sounds a bit dramatic, I know. But, it’s true and I’ve seen women experience similar things over and over.

If I had to pick the top 6 ways in which midlife entrepreneurship changes your life I would say:  

  • Ownership: At 50 or beyond you’ve likely been doing many things for other people – following their rules – for a long time. Having your own business gives you FULL ownership of everything – the good, the bad and the ugly. This is exhilarating and challenging. For once you don’t have to do something a specific way, ask for permission or work using somebody else’s guidelines. You get to do it YOUR way.  
  • Creativity: We’re all creative beings in some way. Whether or not you’re ‘artistic’ isn’t really the point. Being a business owner enables you to make creative decisions and come up with useful solutions. That’s creativity at work, too.
  • Finding Lost Loves: As a child I loved acting and writing. Somewhere along the way I lost touch with both. But, in my own business I do get to be a performer of sorts. How I present myself and my business is a performance. I make videos in my new business. This makes me feel like I am on stage again. It’s fun. I love it. You’ll get to bring your creative bits back to life, too.  
  • Challenges: It’s not uncommon to feel unchallenged at our age. We have so much experience in certain parts of our lives that there isn’t much that comes our way that ruffles our feathers. Our experience has given us skills to handle the curve balls. This lack of challenges, however, can feel dull and lifeless. Becoming an entrepreneur will bring a basket of challenges. Prepare to feel really alive again!
  • Impact: When I launched my business one of my primary goals was to make an impact. I wanted to give, to help. I knew I had talents and skills to offer. I wanted to help other women have the same incredible entrepreneurial experience I had. hen it’s our business we can choose to make it about purpose – putting something out into the world that will make a difference. Whether it’s selling t-shirts with happy sayings on them or devoting your business to community advocacy, it doesn’t matter. It’s important to share our talents and skills with the world. It’s our gift. And, having the chance to give is an amazing feeling.
  • Happiness: Certainly not every day of business ownership is happy. There are hard days, even scary days. But, at the end of the day, it’s ours. It represents our sense of self and individuality. Nobody else could create your business, only you can do that.

Starting a business after 50 is your time to shine.

 

~ By Colleen Kochannek

Colleen Kochannek is Founder of scrappyfrontier.com whose mission is to help women over 50 launch successful businesses using midlife-friendly tactics to master modern business strategies.

 

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Entrepreneurship After Fifty is 10% Business and 90% Life Changing
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