Security in Your Retirement – Can a Home Business Help?

Security in Your Retirement – Can a Home Business Help?

by Cheryl Currie on October 28, 2009

Should people in retirement start a Home Business? That was the question I asked myself last year and thank goodness I did! My answer turned out to be a howling “YES.” But not everyone sees it the same way. I’ll explain.

If you are over 60 and not quite happy with your retirement or not looking forward to it, a Home Business may be right for you. Statistically speaking, those who hang out and “relax” tend toward depression and arthritic type diseases. It would seem that the mind and body want to be pushed to the limit as often as possible. There are things that work provides such as self-esteem, a feeling of contribution, mental activity and the joy that comes with creation to name a few.

Personally, I quickly tired of all that relaxation. I wanted more not just for me but also for my children. I saw them struggling to make ends meet and couldn’t help them as much as I wanted to. My income was limited and my physical energy would not allow for extensive travel. In fact, retirement reminded me of my High School years when adults hounded me with the question, “What do you want to do with the rest of your life?” Fact is, I could not answer that question. I knew I had a “rest of my life” but no idea what to do with it. With retirement, it was High School all over again. I had more time to think about it, though.

This time, unlike High School, I came up with some answers.

* I wanted to feel like I still had 25 years left.
* I saw no difference between 25 to 50 except energy level, amount of opportunities for employment and amount of knowledge and experience.
* Whatever I decided to do, it would not be physically straining. In fact, best case scenario, it would provide increased health and energy.
* It couldn’t cost more than my present expenses and ideally would provide a great deal of income.
* There would be no more demanding schedules or having to please a boss. I was done with that.
* Finally, it would have to be something I could sell or turn over when I was done establishing it.

Those are the criteria with which I started searching the internet for a work-at-home opportunity.

A home business or part-time job seemed more likely than publishing my books but even that is entrepreneurial. Work on the computer would let me control my schedule, stay at home and keep the physical strain down. Even publications were best promoted on the internet. Most of my life I had avoided the internet. Retired, I finally had time to see what all the hoopla was about but I only knew enough to avoid any serious trouble. Just setting up a Facebook account was a massive challenge!

For months, my largest stumbling block was the terminology. Beyond that, the young people who spoke it fluently did not have the patience to explain it in layman terms. I almost quit several times. During those times, I reminded myself that for the last 50 years I had been studying one thing or another. My experience as an executive, private teacher, supervisor and many other professions had prepared me for this task. I’d raised three children, survived decades of married life. In other words, I could deal with this. I would no longer let those young whippersnappers make me feel stupid.

The first real business I learned was a support system for other businesses. It provided an extreme amount of training for online marketing which, for me, was its attraction. However, there were days when I just sat there staring at the screen wondering if I would ever understand what a domain was or how to set up a website. On the other hand, almost every day something would click into place and I’d be able to visualize how some aspect of network marketing worked. I persevered. Soon people were telling me that I was an internet guru. Me? An internet guru? At first I simply wondered why they were saying that. It seemed impossible that I could have learned that much in such a short amount of time.

That first business paid for itself in golden training — and in cash. Not only did I learn what I needed to know to set up a Home Business and market it on the internet, I also had met and befriended people who were very successful. This led to other opportunities. I’m not a gullible person and had learned very quickly which type of companies to avoid. I knew exactly how much money I was willing to lose on a venture. A couple of so-called opportunities had taken my money and some of my friends’ money and given nothing in return. I now refuse to get involved with anything that doesn’t put a tangible, desirable product in my hands.

The next company I got involved with was a health product. This company had an impeccable reputation, was in its mid-cycle growth period had an excellent training program and the group of people I had come to know as top producers were recommending it. I had my policy of “let me try the product.” That turned out really well. The product not only provided me with extra energy but healing benefits as well. Within a couple of weeks, I was making more than I was spending. Thanks to my sweat and tears with the first company, I knew how to market the second company. Then, thanks to my rising up the ranks, I ended up near the very top of yet another health product company. My health, my income, my mental alertness are all where I want them to be.

Should retired people start a Home Business? I’d say if you’re not happy with the amount of creativity, finance or future you have, you should. Keep your spending close to nil. Study until you’re a pro. You’re not dead yet or you wouldn’t be reading this!

To sum this up, a Home Business is not unlike any other job, profession or privately owned company. You have to be willing to go through the learning process, learn from your mistakes, set sane policy for yourself, know what your going for and stick with it until you get it.